What To Eat When You’re Pregnant And Vegetarian | Book Review

pregnancy, health, diet, food, what to eat, vegetarian, The phrase, ‘You are what you eat’, is never truer than when pregnant. In fact, both you and your baby are what you eat. If you are vegetarian, or just want to cut down on meat, then this book calls itself the ‘complete guide to healthy eating’. We put it to the test.

This book is an excellent guide. It has a handy reference of vegetarian-safe food and drink, checklists for pregnancy and post-conception, guidelines on caffeine and alcohol, tips on handling morning sickness, how to achieve a healthy weight, and then lose it again, advice on getting enough nutrients, advice on allergy-proofing your baby, food that affects a babies development and what you should eat when breastfeeding. Phew. That is quite a lot of information.

With its menu plans and tips for planning meals, the wealth of information in this book is vast. It even has graphs of how much you should weigh and what food you should eat, it makes a complicated time easy, at least when it comes to nutrition. I also thought the chapter on getting enough iron and avoiding anaemia is great for any mother-to-be. The common complaints during pregnancy and how to deal with them is great too. It covers most health complaints that occur in pregnancy.

What to Eat When You’re Pregnant and Vegetarian: The Complete Guide to Healthy Eating is a great book. A must buy if you are planning to get pregnant or already are.

The Great British Bake Off Recipe Videos | Bake Your Own Cakes

baking, how to, recipe, video. cheescake, muffins, ganola barsReady, Steady, Bake!

With The Great British Bake Off back on our screens, now is the perfect time to get back in the kitchen, whip out your apron and bake some yummy treats that the whole family will love.

In preparation for the nation’s favourite baking series, Jordans has teamed up with The Boy Who Bakes and original winner of The Great British Bake Off, Edd Kimber, to create three exclusive new recipes.

To kick start your day Edd has created some delicious Oat and Raisin Muffins using Jordans Crunchy Oat Granola with Raisins and Almonds. These muffins are perfect for breakfast to set you up for the day or for an afternoon snack.

Finally, Edd’s show-stopper: Strawberry Cheesecake Tart. This stunning creation is a perfect centre piece for Summer dinner parties, but actually very simple to make.

Oat and Raisin Muffins

– makes 6

150g Plain flour

1 1/2 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Cinnamon

125g Jordans Crunchy Oat Granola with Raisins and Almonds

100ml Vegetable oil

125g Light brown sugar

75ml Whole milk

2 Large eggs

1 tsp Vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180C fan and line a muffin pan with six paper wrappers.

In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder and cinnamon together. Add the Jordans granola, breaking up any large clusters with your fingers, mix to combine.

In another bowl add the oil, sugar, milk, eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until fully combined. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Using a spatula or wooden spoon gently mix the ingredients together, don’t worry if there are a few lumps because you want avoid over mixing the batter which can result in tougher muffins.

Divide the batter between the paper cases and place the muffin pan into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and risen. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

Strawberry Cheesecake Tart

– serves 12

Tart Base

250g Jordans Strawberry Country Crisp

125g Unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Cheesecake Filling

250g Cream cheese

70g Caster sugar

1 tsp Vanilla bean paste

150ml Double cream

Strawberry Topping

500g Strawberries, hulled and halved

30g Caster sugar

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Place the Jordans Country Crisp in the bowl of a food processor and blend until fine. Add the butter and process to combine evenly. Lightly grease a tart tin with a removable base and line the base with a disc of parchment paper (this helps to remove the tart later on). Press the crisp mixture firmly into the base and sides of the tin, make sure to press firmly so the tart base is solid. Place in the refrigerator for an hour to set.

To make the cheesecake filling place the cream cheese, caster sugar and vanilla into a large bowl and using an electric mixer or wooden spoon beat together for a few minutes until smooth and creamy. In a separate bowl whisk the cream until it has soft peaks. Add a third of the cream to the cream cheese and beat to combine. Add the remaining cream and fold together until fully combined. Spread the cheesecake mixture evenly across the base of the tart shell and pop back in the fridge whilst you make the topping.

For the strawberries place the berries, sugar and lemon juice into a medium saucepan and cook over medium/low heat for about 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the fruit has released some juice. Remove the strawberries from the pan, leaving behind all the juice. Increase the heat to medium/high and cook for a couple of minutes or until the juice has reduced and is syrupy in consistency, remove from the heat and allow to cool.

To serve, carefully remove the tart from the tin and place onto a serving plate, top with the strawberries and drizzle over the syrup, serve immediately.

Honey Nut Granola Bars

– makes 8

300g Super Nutty Granola

125g Clear honey

50g Unsalted butter

25g Light brown sugar

A pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 160C and grease and line an 8 inch square tin (preferably with a loose base) with parchment paper.

Place the granola into a large bowl and break up any clusters with your fingers, set aside. In a small saucepan add the honey, butter, sugar and salt and cook over low heat until fully melted. Pour this mixture over the granola and mix thoroughly. Press into the prepared pan making sure to press in firmly, this will help the bars hold together once baked. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow to cool for around half an hour before carefully removing and allow to cool completely in the fridge (this helps to dip the bars later).

When ready to dip the bars place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of gently simmering water. Once the chocolate is melted, remove from the heat and carefully dip the bars in the chocolate, coating half of the bar. Set onto a parchment lined baking tray and place in the fridge to set.

For more information visit www.jordanscereals.co.uk

Time To Give Up Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Day 28: It’s Over!

Well, I have finished. At midnight on Sunday I was no longer on a low/no sugar diet. Did I binge? No and I am as proud of that as I am of doing the programme. I cannot believe I got all the way to the end.

Yesterday I had some tea with sugar. One with two and the other two cups of tea with half a teaspoon of sugar. I also had a few pieces of dark chocolate. I had toast for breakfast, a cheese sandwich for lunch and a chicken roast for supper. No cake and no fizzy juice. Even the tea and the chocolate tasted sweeter than ever before. The thing I have to watch out for is eating a lot of vegetables.

I had my final call with Laura on Sunday evening and she is proud of me. In fact everyone I know is both proud and shocked. Going forward, Laura has given me a goal setting worksheet and I don’t want to ever fall into my previous sugary ways. Although I need to add a correction pointed out by Laura. I was told a homemade Gin & Tonic doesn’t have any sugar. It does! My own fault and the tonic water I bought would have had a lot of sweeteners instead, which I hate and think cause cancer and other nasty diseases.

Even too much fruit is bad for you. Laura sent me this  interesting article by Dr Mercola on fruit.

My energy level has really improved since I cut out sugar and I am completely converted. Give it a shot. I will be adding lots of low/no sugar recipes to Frost.

Meanwhile, have a look at Laura’s meal suggestions for a day.

 

Meal Ideas

 

Breakfast |  Keep it simple with two boiled eggs, a kiwi and a few nuts. Add a slice of toast if you want.

 

Lunch |Try a green lentil, beetroot and feta cheese salad with olive oil.

 

Snack | Chicken shavings and sliced avocado on a rice cake

 

Dinner |A slow cooked warming beef stew with swede or squash mash. Homemade popcorn to celebrate!

 

Check out Happysugarhabits for more info.

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Time To Give Up Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Day 27

Yesterday my fiancée went to play poker with his friends. Usually this is an excuse for me to eat something he would not approve of. Instead, this is what I had:

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Lunch was a giant fried egg that was supposed to be an omelette (This was my second attempt and the first one obviously made me too cocky), mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumber and iceberg lettuce with olive oil. Dinner was a tricolore: avocado, tomato, mozzarella with boiled egg, cucumber, lettuce and more olive oil. I am not sure what has happened to the old me but if you see her, dust her off and give her a light slap because she will be in shock.

No fizzy juice, no fruit juice, no chocolate and no sweets or cakes. My only vice the occasional tea with a little bit of sugar when the headaches and nausea gets too bad.

I have always eaten healthily but have the occasional binge and too many sugary drinks. Today is the last day and I have my last call with Laura tonight. My fiancée says he is proud of me and that I look healthy and that I am ‘glowing’. I am glad I did the diet even though it was hard. It has certainly paid off. My last post in the diet will be up soon but I will post some great low/no sugar recipes and facts for you. I hope you feel inspired to cut down your sugar intake. For me, it was definitely worth it.

Guilty Pleasures Pop Up at Mary Janes Bar

MARY JANESThis autumn will see the arrival of the global phenomenon that is Guilty Pleasures at stylish City bar, Mary Janes. Every Thursday night guests can enjoy a glorious all-singing, all-dancing pop-up spectacle from DJs, dancers and performers bringing a razzle-dazzle tour de force to London’s traditionally conservative financial district.

From the moment they arrive, city workers will leave their consciences at their desks and walk into a sinner’s paradise. Throughout the course of the evening, Guilty Pleasures’ unique blend of entertainment will be popping up with DJs, singers, cabaret performers, dancers, acrobats and a whole troupe of kitsch characters guaranteed to start a party unlike anything ever seen before in the City.

In the eight years since it was founded, Guilty Pleasures has become a musical institution, embracing the full scope of the pop spectrum, from the 70s to the present day. Founded by the charismatic broadcaster and lifelong music fan, Sean Rowley on his cult BBC London radio show, it has now evolved into a sell-out club night, a compilation album series and a television show. Alongside Sean, Guilty Pleasures eclectic cast create an unforgettable heart stopping, disco dancing, pop spectacular!

To celebrate the arrival of Guilty Pleasures, Mary Janes have created a bespoke food and cocktail menu with a Guilty Pleasures theme which will truly be the answer to guests’ prayers. Guests can enjoy Naughty Hot Dogs, a platter of mini hot dogs with different toppings such as Chilli con Carne, American Mustard, Fried Onions and Melted Cheese, or can go to the dark side with Dirty Burgers; a selection of burger sliders with fillings including Pulled Pork, Chorizo, Chilli and Cheese. Diners will be singing the praises of the sinfully sweet Dunkin’ Donuts, a homemade selection of sugared Cinnamon Donuts with Chocolate Sauce, Toffee Sauce and Warm Apricot Marmalade.

Drinkers will be confessing their sins after delving into the Guilty Pleasures themed cocktails which include the Chocolate Mint Pleasure, a playful blend of Vanilla Stolichnaya Vodka, Cacao White, Crème de Menthe, Milk and Chocolate Sprinkles. Pop princesses can opt for the Sassy Spritz, a zingy mix of Aperol, Prosecco, and Soda. The Retro Mai Tai will transport guests back to the last days of disco and will combine Santa Teresa Rum, Triple Sec, Captain Morgan, Pineapple, Orange Juice and Grenadine

Owned and operated by The Mint Group, Mary Janes is a chic bar with an interior combining a touch of the baroque with modern elegance. Plush Louis XVI style chairs, crystal chandeliers and red drapes lend a sense of theatre to the venue, whilst downstairs exposed brickwork, leather banquettes and a long wooden and zinc-topped bar create a more contemporary space. The bar has several intimate spaces perfect for group bookings, as well as the ever-popular karaoke room which can take bookings for up to 12 people.

Mary Janes
124-127 Minories
London
EC3 1NT
Tel: 020 7481 8195
W: www.maryjanesbar.com/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/maryjanesbar/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Janes-Bar/

Opening Hours
Monday-Wednesday 12pm – 11pm
Thursday & Friday 12pm – 1am
Available for private hire on weekends

Time To Give Up Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Days 24, 25 and 26

get off sugar, no sugar diet, should i give up sugar, is sugar bad for you, the white stuff, is sugar evil,The last weekend of my no sugar diet is coming up. At midnight on Sunday I will be at the end of a 28 day Mentor Me Off Sugar Programme ran by the excellent Laura Thomas of Happy Sugar Habits. I never thought I would get this far and I flirted with the idea of quitting after my mother got very ill. But here I am; almost at the end.

The main thing I can say it that it has been educational. I knew I was having too much sugar but I did not think it was easily avoidable. But it can be. I am sleeping much deeper and better now. The weight just dropped off and my energy is higher, more constant.

Laura has told me off for not eating enough vegetables so last night I had homemade fish and chips with peas and roasted carrots. The day before we had peppers stuffed with tuna and mozzarella. Yesterday at Sainsbury’s I bought mushrooms, cucumber, iceberg lettuce, parsnips, carrots. I also got tomatoes, avocado and olives. Pretty healthy and we already had some peppers in the fridge.

I have also been having a lot of hummus and wholemeal pitta bread. As well as generous helpings of good, wholemeal bread and lurpack butter. Sometimes simple is best.

I love food and trying new things so to be honest the food part of the diet has been much easier than I imagined, the drinks, however, were hard as I thought. The temperature has gone over 30c this summer and the urge for a cold, fizzy drink was hard to resist. But I did, and I am very proud. Finding out that homemade Gin & Tonic had no sugar was a high point. Endless cups of herbal tea and water really were not.

Before I started this programme one of my biggest fears was getting diabetes, to my shame not just because of the health problems, but also because I would not be able to eat and drink what I wanted. This programme has changed my life and stopped future health problems. My no sugar diet may stop this Sunday, but my low sugar life will just be beginning.

 

Time To Give Up Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Days 22 & 23

get off sugar, no sugar diet, should i give up sugar, is sugar bad for you, the white stuff, is sugar evil,So I am on the last week and I am also allowed fruit and dark chocolate now. This past three weeks I have noticed differences to my health and I am now aware at just how much sugar I was putting into my body. Answer: lots. Food companies seem to put sugar in everything. I even got sent water which had 12g of sugar added. Yes, a bottle of water that was 14% sugar. What is that about?

Bananas are 50% sugar, Sauces are full of sugar and so is white bread and pasta. In fact our recommended daily allowance of 50g of sugar a day (for a woman, here is the NHS guidelines on sugar, which should never account for more than 10% of your calorie intake) can be wiped out by eating two things. This is ridiculous, no wonder so many people have diabetes.

The past two days I have had my main meal in restaurants. I have listened to what Laura recommended when eating out. I had chicken on Monday with sauteed potatoes and insalata tricolore to start. On Tuesday I have crab cakes and then a burger. I don’t have any coke even though I want to. I have cocktails as I have to review them (I know, hard life) but I try ones with no obvious sugar, or added sugar.

I haven’t been having tea with sugar bit did yesterday as I had such a bad headache it was debilitating. Going forward, I am going to try and not take any sugar in my tea but this will be a hard and gradual thing. I also hate it when people have a go at me when I take sugar in my tea. The funny thing is that it is tied up in my identity. One friend calls me the only actress in London who takes sugar in their tea. I have always seen this as a huge compliment. Especially against body and health fascists. The truth is I drink a lot of tea, and the sugar adds up. So even getting down to one sugar would be an achievement.

The main thing I have noticed about the programme, other than the weight loss, is that I no longer have those blood sugar crashes. I didn’t think sugar or caffeine affected me, but, actually, it does. I am sleeping better and have a much steadier energy than the highs and lows of before.

One of the great snacks I have been having is egg in a cup. Try it as it tastes amazing and is very healthy.

I am feeling happy and positive. I never thought I would get this far or do this well. I haven’t been perfect but I have done my best and reaped the benefits.

What do you think? Will you cut out sugar?

 

Time To Give Up Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Day 20 & 21

So this diet has broadened my horizons. Sure I might be a bit sick of bread and gasping for tea with sugar and a lemonade in the sun but I am looking at the positives.

I am eating a lot of eggs and even made my first omelette. My fiancée used the yolks for something else so it was an egg-white omelette. It was okay for a first attempt and tasted much better than it looked.

Another great meal was prawns, tomato, peas and mushrooms in a homemade garlic sauce. I may be eating great food but finding stuff to drink is harder. I have been drinking a lot more alcohol than I usually do because I find the constant herbal tea and water boring. It is just a drink every other day but I doubt it is good for me, as I usually hardly ever drink.

I am still slimmer even though I am hungry all the time and eating more. I am sleeping better, the headaches are less and I have more energy. The detox has been hard but worth it.

Going forward I will not be giving up sugar completely, but I will be eating less and looking at labels. This diet will have long term benefits for my health and it was definitely worth doing.

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