A Step To Recovery

Not too long ago I was in a pretty dark place. The eating disorder that had sent my life and the lives of those who love me, on a crazy rollercoaster ride that only seemed to go down was in full control of my mind. I was diagnosed with depression and osteoporosis of my lower spine. I was doing all I could to stay at university but struggling big time. I would like to say that I had a Eureka moment, when I thought ‘this had to change’ and everything just got better. But reality is it has taken a very long time.

I do think realising you need change is integral though. I decided that living in a way that crippled me so entirely just could not go on anymore. My family helped me enormously, taking control when I needed it. They knew how badly I wanted to stay and university and finish my degree but they also knew I couldn’t do it alone. So for the second of my three years at university I commuted to my lectures and seminars. I spent a lot of money on trains. But I also took my first few steps to recovery.

 

Back when I was 15 a food plan was created for me. It told me what to eat and when to eat it. I ate the same thing Every. Single. Day. For 4 years. I’m not kidding. The food plan was designed to make me gain weight, which it slowly did. But that also meant I had to eat 3 chocolate bars a day. Being forced to eat like this meant my fear of food never went away. It meant I would anything to avoid it and so my brain became transfixed, obsessed with summoning up ways to secretly ‘cut things out’.

The first mini breakthrough came when I changed my attitude towards food. I knew that if I wanted get better (physically and mentally) I was going to have to start eating better. So to control my anxiety around food I altered my perspective. Rather than seeing food as something negative I chose to fall in love with it. I chose to see it as something that would strengthen me; something that would help me fight to become the person I wanted to be.

That was in December 2012, a little over two years ago. Since that time a lot has changed. It hasn’t been easy. For a little while I became so obsessed with healthy eating that it actually turned my philosophy full circle and became something negative and unhealthy. But I have taken control again. What I have realised is that it is food that fuels us through life. It is food that makes it possible to live the lives we want in the way that we want and so we should provide our bodies with the nutrients to do so. Life is for living; recovery is worth it. So fight. Fight, fight, fight and never ever give up. 

Caramel Smoothie

I have a habit of going through ‘phases’. Once upon a time I couldn’t get enough of granola and fruit. I would have it for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dessert… I would have had it for dinner too but you have to draw a line somewhere. Right now I’m obsessed with smoothies. This is probably in direct correlation to my love for my new blender, but it is also because they’re so fun and easy! I usually load mine up with fruit and love to experiment! This particular combination is one of my favourites. It is super sweet and caramelly!

Ingredients: {serves 1}

1 large overripe banana

1 large medjool date

1 cup of almond milk

½ tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Simply place all ingredients in blender and blend, blend, blend!!

Bircher Muesli/ Overnight Oats

I tried making Bircher Muesli a few times, however it’s traditionally made with a squeeze of lemon and apple juice; something I personally find too tangey (... I have an English Literature degree... can you tell?). I experimented with all sorts of methods; grating an apple into the oats, sweetening the mix with copious amounts of honey, but I still didn’t like it. So instead I thought I would try overnight oats, but most recipes require the use of chia seeds if you want a dairy free option and I find that they just don’t provide the creamy texture I'm after.

So I tried again. I stopped being all fancy and went for a much, much more simple method. I upped the oat content and lowered the almond milk measure them left the concoction to soak in a jar overnight. The Bircher/ overnight oat concoction was just the right amount of creamy and not too sour or too sweet – perfect. And so this time Goldilocks got her overnight porridge just right.

Ingredients: {serves 1}

½ cup of oats

2/3 cup of almond milk

1 tsp of vanilla extract

Method:

Mix the ingredients well and store in an airtight jar or container overnight. In the morning pour into a bowl (adding a little more almond milk if desired) and serve with a drizzle of honey and fresh fruit!

Baked Porridge

I love baked porridge! It just adds a whole new dimension to your morning oats. As the title suggests it means cooking your oatmeal in the oven rather than using the conventional stove method. The result is something much more sweet and gooey. It is also a really simple receipe, which is always a bonus! Long story short this is amazing, I suggest you try it... porridge for dinner?

Ingredients: {serves 1}

½ cup of oats

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup almond milk

1 banana

1 tsp of vanilla extract

A few strawberries (optional)

Method:

Begin by pre-heating the oven to 180 degrees.

Combine the oats and baking powder in a mixing bowl.

Mash ¾ of the banana and add to the dry mixture along with the almond milk and vanilla. Mix well.

Lightly grease a baking dish with a little oil (I like to use coconut oil for this) and then pour the mixture into the dish.

Slice the remaining banana (and strawberries if including these) and arrange on top.

Pop in the oven for half an hour.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes (it will be super hot!) Top with honey, peanut butter, fresh fruit... and enjoy!

Baked Sweet Potato topped with an Avocado-Veggie Mix

Sweet potato is the bomb. I mean seriously. Have you ever baked one because if you haven't I am pretty sure you want to stop what you are doing and do it right now. Like. Right. Now.

I think one of the best things about baked sweet potato, aside from it's great health benefits, is that if you bake it for long enough it caramilises. And when topped with avocado it is one of the most delicious things ever. So I thought I would share the recipe for my favourite lunch - baked sweet potato topped with an avocado-veggie mix. This is gooey, healthy and most importantly tastes amazing. You have to try this because I promise you you won't regret it.

Ingredients: {serves 2}

2 medium sized sweet potatoes

1 avocado

1 red bell pepper

8 cherry tomatoes

40g (half a small tin) of sweetcorn

2 large handfuls of spinach

Greek yogurt to serve

Method:

Begin by pre-heating the oven to 180 degrees. 

Place a metal skewer through each sweet potato (if you don't have skewers you can pierce each with a knife a few times) and cook for one and half hours. 

With about fifteen minutes cooking time remaining make the avocado-veggie topping. Begin by removing the stem of the pepper and slicing into small chunks, and quartering the cherry tomatoes. Place these into a bowl. Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh. Slice this into chunks and then mash well with a fork. Add this to the bowl with the pepper and tomatoes and mix well. Drain the sweet corn and add 40g (half the can) to the mixture and mix again. 

Once the sweet potatoes are ready (they should be very squidgy, soft the whole way through and caramilsing where they have been pierced) remove them from the oven and serve! Place each potato on a plate and slice in half. Put a handful of spinach and half of the avocado mixture on each. Finish them with a dollop of Greek yogurt. 

These are delicious, I really hope you love them!