Fibromyalgia and Nutrition 2018 – Week 1

Good evening!

I can’t quite believe a week has passed since my last blog post and we are already 8 days into 2018! Crazy!

2018 has gotten off to a good start. My New Year Fibromyalgia flare up has settled and I’m now back to normal levels of symptoms, my nutrition plan is back on track and I’m feeling good. Hoping to hold on to the new year feeling for as long as possible!

The major change for me since new year has been the exclusion of meat from my diet. I’ve been considering it for quite some time now, and I’ve started off with just aiming to get through January, but I’m feeling so good I may just keep it out altogether (mostly). I’m not vegan (although I have had more vegan days than not and strongly considering it) as I’m still eating eggs, fish and honey, but they are the only animal products I am now eating.

So why the change? Well, I just wanted to see how it would make me feel, as I know from monitoring my fibromyalgia symptoms that I generally feel better on meat free days. My digestion is usually better and my energy levels higher, and these two areas can be particularly bothersome to me.

On top of that I’m beginning to have some real issues with the animal industry, and the way animals are treated for our own cheap personal gain. But that’s a story for another day and forum.

I imagined it would be difficult to cut out meat, as I’m not a massive carb eater and so wondered where on earth I would get my energy from, but honestly it hasn’t been all that hard. I’ve explored new recipes, gotten my zest back for cooking, and actually vegan and meat free recipes are quick and cheap to cook. So lots of wins!

I’ve found my favourite free from cookbooks as well as Vegan Life magazine particularly helpful in meal planning, and have enjoyed the variety of vegetables I am getting in every day, far exceeding my 5 a day for sure! I’ll try and reference back any recipes I’ve used below!

The only downside…. I’m hungry 😂 but let’s face it, we could all do with being a little hungry after the festive season, and it does make me enjoy my food much much more!

Anyway, without further ado, here’s this weeks highlights! Details at the bottom of the post!

Top to bottom

• Potato, pea and herb broth taken from the River Cottage Light and Easy cookbook
• Porridge made with gluten free oats, cocoa, coconut milk and topped with bananas and peanut butter
• Chickpea and peanut butter curry – recipe adapted from Vegan Life Magazine
• Homemade Socca pancake – recipe adapted from Free From Food for family and friends cookbook
• Raw cacao truffles received as a Christmas present from Frog Hollow Catering
• Homemade veggie burgers – recipe adapted from Vegan Life Magazine
• Poached eggs and avocado on toast – just because.

And that’s it!

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like to talk about how adapting your diet to managing your fibromyalgia symptoms can help you! I can be found over on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Toodle pip!

Fibromyalgia and Diet – My new way of sharing

Happy new week to you all!

I’ve been wracking my brains after lasts weeks Fibromyalgia and Diet post to think of a new way of sharing the food that I eat to make it as useful as possible. It’s taken me until yesterday to work this out but I am going to try keeping a photo food dairy to share with you once per week. The aim of this diary is to share not only what I eat but whether I prepared the food myself or brought it, to share the brands I love and where I eat my food (bear with me on that last point it will make sense). My  hope it that I will be able to demonstrate that whether you are out home, at work, on a day trip or commuting, where there is a will there is a way. You can change your diet to benefit your fibromyalgia. I am also hoping it will help everyone to see that I do eat all three of my meals and not just breakfast (which I seem to snap the most pictures of).

Now, as I only thought of this yesterday, I only have yesterdays diary to share with you today, but next week will be a full week. I also need to stress that as it is a food diary, snapping where I eat my food as well as what I eat, not all of the pictures will be Instagram worthy, but they will be real…..

So without further ado, here is yesterdays food diary!

Sunday – BREAKFAST – Cocoa Porridge with berries and nut butter LUNCH – Red Thai Chicken and Veg Soup and Sea Salt Potato Crisps from Pret A Manger DINNER – Chicken Roast Dinner

I hope I’m heading in the right direction by sharing the practicalities of eating well with fibromyalgia…… I’m also thinking of putting recipes to a vote, so people can choose each week which recipe I should share on the blog the following week 🙂 Would my readers like that? Let me know in the comments section below.

For now, toodle pip and happy eating!

You can find me over on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, where I share articles that I have found helpful, things that make me happy, and of course, food, food, food.

Fibromyalgia and diet – My top ten tips!

I’ve come to realise that these last few fibromyalgia and diet posts I’ve just warbled on about me and my food loves! I hope that you are finding it helpful, particularly if you are thinking about going gluten or dairy free, and also hoping that it shows that gluten and dairy free doesn’t mean boring or the end of good food!

So this week is a little bit more of the food Ive eaten recently, but also wanted to give some tips that I have picked up along the last 8 months or so since I have made the changes to help manage my diet, particularly from the gluten and dairy aspect. So here’s my top ten tips!

• Make a food plan for the week and try to stick to it.
• Cook as much in advance on a good day as you can, that way if you have a bad day you have something to fall back on.
• Have plenty of fruit in the fridge to snack on for your desperate times!
• Don’t alway be drawn towards the food that is labelled as gluten or dairy free, check out the labels on some regular foods too and you might be surprised and you’ll save money.
• Cook things from scratch where you can so you know exactly what has gone into your food.
• Get some good cook books! My particular favourites are 26 Grains, River Cottage Light and Easy and The free from cookbook from the Intolerant Gourmet. I have the Leon Cookbooks and Deliciously Ella on my wish list.
• Try to alter some regular recipes and replace some ingredients with those suitable to your diet, for example replacing butter with coconut oil. Sometimes it may be a disaster but other times it will be a triumph.
• Visit a decent health food shop for inspiration. While they can be expensive, I often go just to get ideas and then make food out of ingredients from my local supermarket which is much cheaper.
• When eating out, check out the restaurant menu online if you can so you aren’t under pressure to work things out when you are there.
• Don’t be afraid to ask what the chef can do for you if there isn’t much on the menu that fits your needs, most places are very accommodating.

I’m really keen to know what your top tips are, and also what you would like to see on the blog from a diet point of view. I’m planning on carrying on with the anti inflammatory series and whizzing up some more easy recipes for you, but what else would you like to see? Do you like to see what I’ve been chowing down on, or is that getting boring now? Please let me know in the comments section below!

Now for the food porn. Admittedly I’ve not snapped much food this week so this is more from the past month or so….

Honey, Lemon and Blueberry cupcakes from the intolerant gourmet cookbook. Refined sugar free!

Raspberry and banana smoothie made with coconut milk

Gluten and Dairy Free Yorkshire pudding and featured as Recipe of the Week on the blog. Click here for the recipe.

Gluten and Dairy Free Coconut Porridge with almonds, nut butter and banana.

Thats all for this weeks food dairy, see you next week! Don’t forget to come and say hello over of social media on Facebook, Twitter Pinterest or Instagram!

Recipe – Gluten and Dairy Free Yorkshire Pudding

The quest for a yorkshire pudding I can eat is over! I have finally perfected my gluten and dairy free yorkie, and isn’t it a thing of beauty??!

It took my some time to get this right but now that I have I am delighted to share it with you all!

Gluten and Dairy Free Yorkshire Puddings

Ingredients – makes 10 muffin sized yorkies

• 120g gluten free plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 175mls rice milk
• Olive oil to cook

Method

1. Place the eggs and flour into a bowl and whisk together until well combined
2. Slowly add the milk to the flour and egg mix, whisking together until well combined, ensuring there are no lumps, between each addition
3. Add a pinch of salt and leave to rest for at least an hour
4. Place about half a teaspoon of olive oil into each hole of a muffin tin, and place into a hot oven of at least Gas Mark 6/ 200 degrees until hot but not smoking (about 5 minutes)
5. When the oil is good and hot take the tin out of the oven, and pour the batter evenly into the holes of the muffin tin before the oil cools down. Replace into the oven and try not to opewn the door while they are cooking.
6. Cook for 20 minutes. or until golden and crispy.

Enjoy with your favourite roast dinner and gluten free gravy!

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do and it helps those who have missed yorkies as a result of a gluten or dairy free diet to become reunited with this neseccary part of any British sunday roast!

As ever, feel free to coment in the section below, or come and say hello over on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

 

Fibromyalgia and Diet – Going strong

Dearest readers,

Once again I am begging for forgiveness for the neglect I have bestowed upon the blog. Working full-time, kids in clubs every evening, keeping up the good diet habits to keep the fibromyalgia symptoms at bay….. it can all sometimes feel a little overwhelming.

So from last weekend I’ve been trying something a little different. I’m now working Monday-Friday 10-6 which means I am able to control my symptoms a little better (even though I am still screwed by the time I get home from work), and I now have weekends to get myself sorted a reset ready for a new week.

So last weekend I tried a new way of doing things which made the week a whole lot easier. I spent one day devoted to the kids and the family, going out for the day and making the most of our time together. The other day I spent cooking and meal planning for the rest of the week. This meant I didn’t once have to buy lunch, I didn’t have to cook when I got home and was already tired and as a result I have eaten so much better. I went meat free Monday-Friday, and moving towards being meat free pretty much all of the time soon.

This weekend I have repeated the process, spending Saturday with the family and enjoying the local festival and Sunday cooking, relaxing and just being free to enjoy my time at home. The only difference is that I am throwing in my blog planning and writing into the mix, writing and scheduling my posts for the rest of the week. I’m too tired to do this when I get home so the cooking day seemed like the perfect day to blog too. In fact, as I write this post I am halfway through a massive pot of quorn bolognese (you can find my bolognese recipe here and just substitute the beef for quorn).

As for the diet, its going well. Although I have to confess to giving in to a little gluten and dairy at the weekend 😦 which I WILL NOT be repeating!

The low sugar bit is good, I’m just having a little at the weekend in a bar of dark chocolate and maybe a can of two of San Pellegrino a week, and I’m not craving it anywhere near as often as I once did. Best step I’ve made in years. Even lost a little weight, which is always a bonus when you have a good covering 😉

Anyway, I’ve obviously eaten A LOT since my last post, so here are just a few of my anti-inflammatory, gluten and dairy free highlights from the past month. Remember, it can sometimes be scary and feel impossible to make a change, but if I can do it anyone can! Going gluten and dairy free has been a massive change for me this year but it is now just second nature and I don’t even really have to think too hard about it now. Hoping these pictures inspire some to make a change for the better and help people to realise that you can still eat delicious food even if you are gluten and dairy free. Enjoy!

 

Coconut porridge with strawberries and Pip N Nut peanut butter

Homemade granola with fruit and Coconut Collaborative yoghurt

Three of my favourite things, salmon, eggs, and avocado, just on a plate together!

Vegan, double chocolate cookies, homemade of course!

Soya hot chocolate from Cuppacino in Clapham Junction Station.

Mushroom and spinach omelette, yum!

Homemade Granola with Coconut Collaborative yoghurt and the freshest, yummiest cherries.

Maybe a bit heavy of the breakfast sharing now, this time Lizzie’s Granola with fresh fruit and coconut yoghurt

More coconut porridge, this time with fresh fruit and pecans

Homemade stir fried tofu with brown rice and pak choi

There’s the salmon and eggs again!

The last takewaway a had a few weeks ago from Naturally Chinese, the best gluten and dairy free takeaway menu ever!

Simple but very tasty, green beans in a tomato sauce served with brown rice. You can find my recipe under the recipes heading on the side of the page!

Sometimes I have to praise the lord for Pret, really saved my skin over the summer with the long commutes. This is their coconut porridge with red quinoa, toasted seeds, and jam.

Homemae blueberry and honey cake, refined sugar free!

Of course had to end with my favourite thing, porridge! this time with raspberries, pecans and honey!

That’s not even the half of it! Will share some more next week!

 

I wanted to thank everyone who have ben reading my blog still, despite the lack of recent posts. Your following and readership absolutely means the world to me and please don’t interpret my lack of posts as me not caring. I do! Just working out how to fit this all in. Oh how I wish this paid, then I could do it all the time!

Anyway, for now, doodle pip! See you soon and please feel free to come and say hello over on social media, you can find me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

Recipe – Green Beans with tomato sauce and brown rice

I’m often looking for something quick, easy, and cheap to cook. Even better if it is something that reheats well so I can take leftovers to work the next day. I’ve also been trying to eat much less meat recently (don’t worry, I won’t cut everything out and stop eating!), and I obviously like my dinners to be healthy. Finally they have to be gluten and dairy free.

We also like to eat seasonably. Green beans are in season right now and my husband keeps bringing them home so I needed to find a recipe that would jazz them up a little. However lovely green beans are just steamed or quickly boiled, its always nice to try something new.

All of the ingredients in this recipe are things that most families will have in the cupboard or the fridge. Theres nothing fancy in this, but the ingredients all work well together and create a simple yet tasty midweek supper. It is also very easy to double or even triple up for batch cooking.

Green beans with tomato sauce and brown rice

Ingredients – serves 2

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion – finely chopped
• 125g green beans – roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves – crushed or finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp ground all spice
• 250g passata
• Lemon – cut into wedges
• 150g brown rice

Method

Heat the olive oil over a low-medium heat in a large saucepan and add the onion. Gently fry for 10 minutes or until softened and translucent.

Add the beans, garlic and all spice. Stir gently until all of the ingredients are coated in the all spice.

Add the passata and about 50mls water. Bring to the boil and then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile cook the rice as per pack instructions.

When the rice is cooked, drain and divide between two dishes. Spoon the beans and tomato sauce into the dishes and garnish with a lemon wedge to squeeze over to taste.

Easy peasy! So simple, so cheap, and so tasty. I made a double batch this evening and will be taking leftovers to work tomorrow which is always a bonus for the tummy and the purse! Saucy dishes always make the best leftovers.

For more gluten free, dairy free and anti inflammatory food inspiration please follow me on Instagram. For all things fibromyalgia, then stay up to date over on my Facebook and Twitter pages!

Toodle pip!

Fibromyalgia and Diet – 1 week off the sugar

1 week in, and a lot less sugar eaten!

Now, I feel like I need to explain something. When I say sugar free, what I really mean is refined sugar free, and as explained in my last post, there may be the odd occasion where I still have refined sugar, just because I deserve it. This is also a path towards being refined sugar free, and will take time to break the habit. Naturally occurring sugars on the other hand, they’re ok, in moderation, and some occur in foods are helpful in my journey, such as honey and fruit.

So how did I get on this past week? Well I think I did quite well. I only had refined sugar on two occasions, once in a San Pellegrino drink with a meal, and on Saturday my family brought me a small packet of jelly peaches (my favourite), and well, it would have been rude not to eat them!

Some things that have helped in cutting down so dramatically

• Eating fresh food
• Cooking from scratch
• Eating some damn delicious seasonal food
• Keeping hydrated has helped keep the pop cravings at bay
• My porridges in the morning have been a welcome sweet treat

So yes, I’ve had two little bits of refined sugar, but considering I was having a little here and there most days I think thats a major improvement! So Im giving myself a little pat on the back (and not eating sweets) to congratulate myself.

However, its all very well cutting out the sugar, which alone will have many health benefits, but have I actually felt these benefits yet and has it been worth it? Well, I’m pleased to report I haven’t had as many post lunch slumps, I’m much less bloated, and I’ve worked through the headaches. I’ve still had some evenings of muscle weakness, fibromyalgia fog is still rife and I’m still super tired by the end of the day, but on the whole I feel much much better in the daytime hours, which are the most important hours right? I never thought it would be the answer to all of my problems, but all the little pieces of the puzzle link up to improve my symptoms. Totally worth it in my eyes!

It wouldn’t be Monday if I didn’t share with you some of my recent foodie adventures!

Good old coconut porridge with strawberries, flaked almonds, chia seeds, accidental poppy seeds and honey.

Coconut porridge with banana, raspberries, strawberries pecans and mint. Try mint if you have berries on you porridge, it all goes so well together.

Superfood salad from Gails Bakery

More coconut porridge with strawberries, banana, pecans and mint.

Homemade blackberry and maple compote, inspired by 26 Grains.

In a quest to stop buying salad at work I made my very own sushi salad bowl inspired by this months Good Food Magazine.

Chocolate porridge made with coconut milk, topped with blackberry maple compote and peanut butter. Inspired by 26 Grains.

That it for this weeks food adventures, all taken on the long road to thriving with Fibromyalgia. Stay tuned for more fibromyalgia and food related posts coming up this week.

To follow my journey and for up to date news and research on all thing fibromyalgia, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Toodle pip!

 

My Fibromyalgia Week and Diet – Whoops

Hullo all!

Its been a lovely week away on holiday with my wonderful little family 🙂 A week full of fun, laughter, food, sunshine, sand, sea and (unfortunately) pain. That being said, the pain hasn’t been so bad that it has beaten me, and I’m hoping that it didn’t stop me from doing things that were good for the whole family. The holiday was relaxing in equal measure with fun, and I feel proud of what I was able to achieve. I did have 2 days of really quite high levels of pain, but I kept going with my tried and tested techniques which helped a great deal.

Now for a naughty confession. The first 5 days out of the 7 were really really great on the food front. I was able to find many gluten and dairy free delights, of which lots of them were also local to the area we were holidaying, which is also important to me. However, theres always a but……..

Come the penultimate day, I caved in. I was really hungry, and fed up of often having to go without because there was no option for me. I caved into some really lovely food, that tasted incredible, but by golly did I pay…. Headaches, bloating, pain, fatigue, and generally just ergh. Was it worth it? Well, the taste was worth it and I don’t regret it that much, so yes I guess it was!

That doesn’t mean I wasn’t glad to get home and get back to normal with food preparation and habits. Having everything I need to hand is really important in maintaining my diet and therefore controlling some of my most bothersome symptoms. I’m pleased to report that the headaches have eased with just a nagging little frontal headache tonight, the bloating is dissipating slowly, and the pain is ebbing back towards that widespread mundane nagging pain that lingers in the background that I am accustomed to, as opposed to the more acute pain I had on holiday.

Sleeping in my own bed last night also helped a great deal and I slept right through, which I hadn’t done in quite a while. I used to be able to sleep well anywhere, but this isn’t the case anymore, although I was able to drop off fairly quickly in the evenings which was an improvement on the previous holiday.

Now to share with you my foodie adventures from the last 2 weeks since I last posted. Enjoy!

Roskillys farm dairy free coconut ice cream!

Roskillys sorbet – how amazing do these alcoholic sorbets look?! What I wouldn’t give for a mojito one now!

A visit to Trebah Garden is never complete without some amazing homemade cake. I used to have the cream tea but that was off due to my diet changes. Was so happy to find this Dairy Free and Gluten Free orange and almond cake!

Yes, Roskillys did well out of me last week, what of it?! This mango and passionfruit Sorbet was amazing. Who said you can’t enjoy food when you and gluten and dairy free?!

The beautiful Rick Stein Porthleven Restaurant in Cornwall. Plenty of gluten and dairy free options!

I thought I would never eat fish and chips again, but Rick Stein had this offering suitable for my and it was 👌🏻

This was a very much chucked together dish but it looked so pretty and tasted so good that I actually shared it as my latest recipe on the blog! Go check it out!

That’s it from me for today 🙂 I hope you enjoyed drooling over this weeks food! As ever you can find me over on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, where I was quiet last week but now I’m back from holibobs will be back in action 🙂 I hope you all have a fabulous week! 

Recipe – Pan fried mackerel with green beans, beetroot and a fried egg

Nothing quite screams summer like fresh fish, and vegetables from the allotment, such as green beans and beetroot. This year has been quite a fruitful year on the allotment (if you excuse the pun), and it is at this time of the year that we try our best to incorporate what we grow into quick and easy meals.

Mackerel is cheap, quick and easy to cook, and tastes delicious, not to mention it is incredibly good for you as part of an anti inflammatory diet, and I try to eat at least 3 portions of oily fish a week. I personally love the saltiness of smoked mackerel, but un smoked will do just as nicely. As would trout or salmon. We used the green beans not to specifically pair with the fish but just because this is what we had harvested just the day before, along with a shed load of beetroot. The egg? Well, who doesn’t love a fried egg?

This is possibly one of the tastiest yet easiest meals you can plate up this summer, and if you are like me thats perfect, as I hate cooking over a hot stove for too long in the heat!

Pan fried mackerel with green beans, beetroot and a fried egg

Ingredients – Serves 2

• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 2 fillets of mackerel or other oily fish
• A good fistful of green beans, sliced to you preference
• Half a large beetroot, grated or sliced thinly
• 2 eggs
• Salt and pepper

You will also need a large frying pan and a saucepan/steamer

Method

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add the green beans and cook for 8-10 minutes until just soft, but still with a bit of a bite, and still bright green, or steam to the same effect
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in the large frying pan over a medium heat, add the mackerel, skin side down and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the skin is golden and crispy. Then flip over and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until cooked through.
3. When the beans are cooked drain and pop onto your plate, sprinkling over the grated/sliced beetroot and a good pinch of salt and pepper to your taste. Place the cooked mackerel on top.
4. Place the frying pan back on the heat and add more oil if needed to fry your eggs. Fry to taste and pop on the top of the mackerel.
5. Voila! Bon Appetit!

For more gluten and dairy free, and anti inflammatory food ideas, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, or even all three!

Toodle Pip!

My Fibromyalgia Week

Oh dear readers, how I have missed you and how I have missed writing! I’m sorry I have been AWOL.

I have finally got it sorted in my head how I am going to blog more regularly without it impacting on my well being too much, and without putting too much pressure on myself. There are many reasons why I haven’t been blogging, or even on social media much but the main reason is that I just haven’t had the best handle on working full time, being a mummy, keeping active, keeping up my regimes and having a chronic illness, along with keeping the smile on my face. I keep reminding myself that in this long long chronic illness game I am still in the very early days of learning, growing and thriving.

That being said I am learning. Slowly, but still learning. I have also still been writing, for magazines and other blogs. Keep your eyes peeled for me sharing the articles soon 🙂 but I have missed the blog and the satisfaction it brings to be able to share my journey and be mindful of my experience, and so this means I need to get back on track.

So in the spirit of trying to return to ‘business as usual’, Mondays wouldn’t quite be right if I didn’t share with you some of my gluten and dairy free food adventures, so here goes!

These look so naughty but are oh so nice. Made by a local bakehouse from the train station I use, so supporting local business too!

I think I may have a slight obsession with designing my porridge bowls…… Kept it simple here with banana and almonds on top of coconut porridge… total yum!

 

Like I said, slight obsession, only this time with strawberries, pistachios, sunflower seeds and maybe a little too much honey!

I’ve broadened my breakfast repertoire to smoothies! This one is by far my favourite, mango, strawberry and banana with coconut milk.

While this one won the prize for the best colour! Banana and Raspberry smoothie with almond milk

You’d be forgiven for thinking that this is cream of tomato soup and that I have completely thrown my dairy free diet out of the window! It’s is actually tomato soup with some ground almonds mixed in which made this soup creamy, sweet and utterly delicious!

I do share my food adventure frequently on Instagram, as well as on Twitter and Facebook, where I also share fibromyalgia and chronic illness articles of interests and recent research. So come join me on this journey and lets thrive together!

Lastly, a little quote from my Calm App that I use for mindfulness, a little bit of wisdom from the really quite wise Dalai Lama, that helped me get back on track today.