The Extremely Delicious and Creamy Overnight Oats

England doesn’t usually get very warm, but a few weeks ago we had a bit of a heat wave.  I got to wear shorts for work and sit outside whilst I had my lunch (until we had some kind of tropical storm and I had to go back in again, sob!). Then last week I went to Majorca with my family, which was so beautiful and also a place that apparently NEVER cools down – think 30 degrees by 10am!

All this heat meant my usual breakfast (porridge) just wasn’t going to happen, but I didn’t want to replace my favourite meal half-heartedly. 

I have to admit that the creation of this breakfast was due mainly to fluke. I was actually trying to make a smoothie, but what it turned into was a delicious bowl that I have had almost every morning since. It is super creamy and sweet, and also (with a tiny bit of prep the night before) is really quick to make. It’s also very versatile and easy to switch up just by adding different nut butters or a spoonful of cacao – I’m pretty sure a peanut butter chocolate variation would be incredible.

Ingredients {serves 1}

1/2 cup of oats
1/2 cup almond (or any dairy free) milk or coconut water
1 banana
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or scoop of vanilla protein for a higher protein option)
1 heaped tsp of cashew butter

Method:
** The night before **
Peel and chop the banana. Place into a container or sandwich bag and freeze overnight.
Combine the 1/2 cup of oats with the almond milk/ coconut water and an extra 1/4 cup of water. Mix well. Place into the fridge overnight.

** Breakfast time **
The next day remove the banana from the freezer and oats from the fridge and place both into a blender. Add the cashew butter and vanilla and blend well. Once all smooth and creamy, pour into a bowl, top with anything you fancy and enjoy!

Crunchy Banana Granola

Since I started eating healthily granola has been a staple in my diet. And I first I just got mine from the local supermarket. I know what you’re thinking… Georgina, that is loaded with sugar… and I know that now but back then I lived off Special K and Bran Flakes… A LOT has changed.

But once my Mum and I realised that my new granola wasn’t quite as healthy as we thought we began making our own. Since that time we have been through quite a few granola recipes but out of all of them this one is our favourite. It is totally free from refined sugar and contains only healthy fats. It is chewy and crunchy and tastes banana-ry (totally not a word) and delicious. It doesn’t contain many ingredients either which makes it super easy to make (great because once you have tried this you will make it a lot!)

Ingredients:

Wet:

1 and ½ cup sliced overripe banana

3 tbsp coconut oil (melted)

3 tbsp honey/ pure maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry:

3 cups oats

½ cup almonds (roughly chopped) (optional – just adds another dimension/ flavour but still great without)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Mash the bananas really well and then place into a large mixing bowl with the honey (or maple syrup), vanilla extract and coconut oil. Mix well.

Add the oats (and almonds if using) to the bowl and mix until fully combined. (Using your hands here to combine everything works really well!)

Empty the mixture onto the baking tray, pressing it together until it forms almost a large pancake (I know this is a strange method but trust me!!) And place into the oven.

Allow to cook for 15 minutes, until the edges become lightly browned, then remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Begin to break the ‘pancake’ apart into small chunks – these will form your granola chunks.

Once you have broken up the whole mix pop back into the oven for 25-30 minutes, tossing the granola every now and then. It should be a golden brown.

Allow to cool and then devour with everything! (Fruit, porridge, (n)ice cream… you name it!)

Self Love - Believe It

To say I have fully recovered from my eating disorder would be a lie. There are still some days when I feel like throwing my duvet over my head, curling into a ball and hiding from the world. But that is okay; an eating disorder consumed my entire being for almost eight years, it was never going to be easy or just vanish, but as each week passes those bad days become fewer and fewer, and i know one day soon they will vanish completely.

There are a lot of things I could (and hopefully will) talk about regarding recovery, but with an announcement earlier today from the BBC stating that hospitals admissions for teenagers with eating disorders has nearly doubled over the past three years due to low self-esteem issues stemming from social media, ‘self-love’ was something I wanted to talk about today.

I am sure there are a number of people who would tell you that self-love is not something I am good at. I can completely relate to those who scroll endlessly through Instagram feeling they could never measure up to the girls they see there; never strong enough, flexible enough, beautiful enough… it can be so toxic.  But I think there are two things to remember here. First of all Instagram is a photo roll of highlights, not of reality. People place their images into the world so they can be perceived in certain way. More often than not we do not show our rawness: the dirty tracksuit bottoms we watch television in, the 11pm pig-outs, the I-Need-A-Wash hair. Yet really it is those moments that make up our realities, not perfectly photographic snapshots. The second thing to remember is that we can beat ourselves up as much as we want, we can hate ourselves to a point of repulsion, but we will never be the girl in the photo. You do not need to feel guilty for being you. You are you, and that itself is beautiful and more than enough.

A couple of days ago that was me. I had been scrolling away (bad Georgina) and was about to send my friend a text and ask if they would still like me even if I gained a little weight (silly I know, but at at the time this seemed like a very rational question). And then I realised that texting them would not help. It would not matter what their reply was – reassurance is great and so often very helpful, yes, but ultimately the real question I needed to ask was to myself; would I still like me if I gained weight?

There is a quote that I have seen a number of times that states, ‘how can you expect anyone else to love you if you do not love yourself’. At first I found this difficult to get my head around. But now I see its importance. Let me try to explain. I think this is about the idea that if you do not love yourself the love given to you from others will never be adequate, you will always feel lacking. No matter how much they love you, no matter how many times they tell you you are beautiful, they will never be able to fill that gaping hole inside you that screams you are not enough. So you can keep on losing weight or promising yourself that ‘when this or that happens I will be happy’… but honestly, deep down, you know that even when you achieve that, there will always be something else.

You need to realise on you own that you are enough; to allow yourself to find the beauty in you. You need to forgive yourself for your imperfections and flaws because they are the rawness that makes you you and that is so, so beautiful.

So maybe today put your phone down. Maybe today start a journal and write down 5 things you like about yourself with as much kindness as possible, Maybe today write down those things you forgive yourself for. Today stop searching for something to change. Be happy with where you are right now. Love the person you are, every cell in your body is already perfect - each and every one of us is enough – and you just need to learn to believe it.

Butternut, Chickpea and Coconut Stew

Despite the fact that we are supposedly working our way towards British summer (key word: British) the sun seems to be having a hard time staying out. Just when I think the climate is getting slightly warmer we plunge back into wind and rain. And although it can be slightly gloomy at times it does mean over here we can eat oatmeal, stews, sweet potato (aka warm comfort meals, aka the best foods) pretty much all year round. Wahoo!

On one particularly cold day last week I got a tagine to take away from a tiny café near my house. It was chickpea, coconut and butternut squash and it was divine. I wanted to recreate something similar. This stew is warming and delicious. It is super comforting and full to the brim with flavour and nutrition.

Ingredients: {serves 6}

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp tumeric

1 tsp ground coriander

2 x garlic bulbs

1 large onion

400 ml veggie stock

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 medium butternut squash

1 large aubergine

1 x can coconut milk (full fat so it is super thick and creamy - yum!)

1 x can chickpeas
1 x 250g bag of spinach

Rice or quinoa to serve! (Or even some courgetti/ zoodles if you fancy it!)

Method:

Begin by grounding the cumin, mustard and fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar. Then prepare the vegetables: peel and finely slice the garlic and onion, peel and de-seed the butternut squash, then cut the butternut and aubergine into bite-sized chunks too.

In a large pan melt the coconut oil on a low heat, adding all the spices, garlic and onion. Stir gently, coating the garlic and onion with the spices, sautéing for 5-10 minutes until the onion in soft.

Add the coconut milk, vegetable stock, tomato puree and butternut squash, bringing the mixture to the boil. Place the lid on the pan and allow this to simmer for 20 minutes on a medium heat. Stirring occasionally.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to the pan along with the aubergine. Replace the lid and cook for a further 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

By this point the butternut squash should be really soft (yum!). Turn off the heat and add the spinach, mixing it in gently into the stew so that it wilts.

Serve with rice or quinoa or salad or whatever you fancy! Enjoy!!

  

A Raw Vegan Coconut-Mocha Dairy, Gluten, Soy and Nut Free Cheesecake (woah...)

One of my closest friends is allergic to nuts. Combine that with my allergies to soy and dairy, plus veganism, it can be pretty damn hard to come up with any food let alone a dessert that both of us can enjoy. But a few days ago we decided to have a sleepover at my house and no sleepover is complete without One Tree Hill (obvs) and sweet treat, so I knew I had to come up with something.

In Bali I tried two different raw cheesecakes that were out of this world incredible; both were coconut mocha. Usually cashew nuts are used in raw vegan desserts as they provide a creamy base so good I can 100% guarantee it will fool even the biggest health food/ nut-hater! But with Emma being allergic to nuts cashews were just not an option, so instead I decided to trail coconut (actually a seed) to see if that would create the decadent cheesecake texture I was after. I was worried that using coconut might take away from the creamy, I-am-a-delicious-amazing-treat-you-must-eat-me-now feel but it totally didn't. And after a slice (or two) it was decided that this raw vegan mocha and coconut cheesecake that is free from any unnatural/ refined sugar, gluten, dairy, soy and nuts (woah what a mouthful!) was most definitely a success!

Ingredients:

Base:

1 cup oats (gluten-free if required)

1 cup medjool dates (soaked for 10 mins in boiling water)

½ cup desiccated coconut

Filling:

1 pack of creamed coconut (200g) (left in fridge overnight to solidify)

3 tbsp pure maple syrup/ raw honey

2 tsp of vanilla extract

¼ cup oats

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp cacao powder

1/2 - 1 tsp coffee powder (depending how strong you would like the coffee flavour)

Method: {serves 8-10}

Grease a spring bottom cake tin with coconut oil.

Place all the base ingredients into a blender and blend until a combined, sticky mixture is formed. (This may take around 5-10 minutes. Add a splash of water if struggling to combine).

Press this sticky base evenly into the bottom of the tin.

Rinse the blender then place in all the ‘filling’ ingredients, aside from the cacao and coffee powder. Blend until a smooth, creamy mixture is formed, adding slightly more water if needed (it should be almost the consistency of thick cream).

Pour half of this mix evenly on top of the base, then place onto a flat surface in the freezer so it begins to set.

Add the cacao and coffee powder to the remaining filling mixture and blend again until combined (you may want to add an extra tsp of vanilla here or a tbsp. of water to taste to ensure a sweet, creamy mocha flavour and texture).

Take the tin from the freezer and top with the remaining filling – ensuring an even top.

Pop back into the freezer and leave for 3-4 hours to set.

Remove from the freezer, allow to melt slightly, slice and serve! 

You may want to leave the cheesecake to defrost slightly for about half an hour before you eat it. But this is great as the cheesecake slices can be stored in containers in the freezer for a couple of weeks (in the unlikely event that you actually have any left…)

Namaste

I am home. Back in the land of rain and jumpers, and I couldn't be happier. I will admit there is a part of me that is longing for the heat, yoga with the sunrise and my new friends. But. I am home. And nothing compares to that feeling.

The past three and a half weeks have been incredible and at times I find myself wondering whether they even happened. But the certificate hidden safely in one of my anatomy book and the new knowledge in my head remind me that the trip wasn’t just some wild figment of my imagination.

When we started the course we were told that we would leave changed – different people than those that arrived. And I think I have. I’m not saying I have come back from Bali with a completely different persona or as someone you wouldn’t recognise, but I think those three weeks have made me braver. For one thing I am no longer afraid of solo travel; in fact I am already trying to decide how I might chase the sun next. I’ve also realised that there were (and still are) patterns and habits in my life that I need to change, to move away from because they simply do not serve me. I’ve come back with a feeling of potential that I didn’t have before… or maybe my trip has helped me see that; to believe in myself. But I am so excited for what the future now holds.

The end of the course didn’t really feel like an ending; it was more a beginning. The start of making a life out of the thing that changed my whole perspective and makes me so happy, and I now have the chance to share it with others. As a yoga teacher I get to help people find some balance in the craziness that is life – and that is such a privilege and a gift.

So Bali you were amazing. More than I ever could have hoped for. I am sure that someday I will see you again but for now thank you for helping me dream a little bigger. Namaste. 

Thus To Paraphrase Taylor Swift

Last night was amazing. I felt like I was in a movie or One Tree Hill or [insert rom-com name here]. A big group of us went out for dinner to a place called Soma in Ubud town centre. It is a beautiful restaurant where all the seating surrounds a large stone courtyard. The ten of us couldn't fit at one of the usual tables so instead were shown to a one placed in the corner of the courtyard. It gets dark in Bali around 6.30pm so the outside was decorated with an array of fairy lights and lanterns. The food Soma serve is incredible (can you say raw vegan mocha cheesecake!!!! Er, yum!), but it wasn't the dessert that made it so special (admittedly it contributed). What made the evening amazing, to me, was the people, both those who I had gone out for dinner with and the three locals (including the restaurant owner) who joined us especially to play music and to sit with us.

I have always felt pretty self conscious in public places when I'm in front of people I don't know. I hate the thought that others might judge me despite not knowing me. I'll tell myself over and over who care what anyone else thinks, but honestly, me, I do. So I hold myself back and try to fit in. But then last night as everyone else was laughing and singing to the music, being a little loud, but having an incredible time I decided I didn't want to worry about that anymore. I don't want to worry about trying to conform to ideals about normality or what makes someone 'cool' or beautiful. I was surrounded by the most amazing girls (and Adam), who just glow from the inside out. They are so full of life, they grasp every moment and really live it. And, stand out or not, it doesn't matter, because they do what is right for them, what makes them happy, and that is so inspirational to me. The girls I have spent the last three weeks with shine so bright; their happiness is contagious. I think maybe their softness comes from holding so little weight in what others think about them; there is room to love everything and everybody.

So last night trying to bridge a gap between age and nationality we threw out names of songs the local men might know so we could sing to the music they played. I think the most successful was 'Hallelujah', even if some of the verses' lyrics were a little questionable. And rather than sitting feeling silly I decided to wholeheartedly join in. Result? Best night ever.

Thus to paraphrase Taylor Swift... who cares what anyone else thinks you look like? The cool kids might think you dance like an idiot but ultimately who is having more fun? Those putting others down and trying to conform to their own ideas about what is 'cool', or those who are loving the moment so completely and singing from the top of their lungs?