Coffee Fixed!!

I've kicked my coffee habit!!

I haven't had a single cup of coffee for the last 5 weeks!! I can't remember the exact date, and I can't even remember if I made a conscious decision to actually give it up. However, I remember sometime in February, I was experiencing some terrible tiredness. It wasn't 'oh you just need some sleep.' It was extreme fatigue, something that I have had before and only someone that experiences it will ever be able to understand! I was at the point where I could barely put one foot in front of the other, or even hold a conversation as it wore me out!. I remember feeling tearful talking to the husband about how awful I felt and that I was just so darn tired...all the fricking time, I wanted to feel normal, whatever that was!! One thing that I kept talking about with him though, was my diet!

I realised that I had gotten into a vicious coffee cycle and that I was actually drinking it more than water. I thought the coffee was going to give me a lift and the energy I required, but I seemed to get more tired. I would then click the kettle and make another cup in order to make me feel less tired, and then another and another. It wasn't working.

So, how did I get a taste for coffee in the first place? My addiction started really when I started my job at Heathrow Airport. I worked shifts, and commuted (my journey being 130miles a day) some days I was getting up at 3.30am, start work at 6, work 13 hours,  and be home for 9 or 10, then do it all again the next day! It was exhausting, challenging but I loved it! There was a Coffee Shop only a few doors down from where I worked...mmmm hello coffee, let's be friends!!

I then moved to Qatar, our compound, with a coffee shop, meant that I was in there everyday having my coffee fix, sometimes it was twice a day, and if I was at home...coffee, or if I was seeing a friend...O yeah, more coffee...it was a bit out of control...

I woke up one morning, and I said 'no thank you' to my hubbie, when he offered to make me a coffee. I continued to say no, and so by the end of the day I hadn't had any at all. However, I remember getting a slight headache, so I had a cup of tea, which completely subsided the pain.

The next day, I decided to continue on this journey. I bought some Green Tea with Earl Grey. It was really satisfying (even hubbie was drinking it) and it was enough to get me through the day. Green Tea, still contains caffeine, but it is at a much lesser amount (less then black tea too) it was enough to avoid those pesky headache withdrawal symptoms!
I did however get some other withdrawal symptoms, I experienced nausea, I had one day of slight fever symptoms- going hot/cold, nausea, feeling weak and constipation. I cannot guarantee it was all withdrawal though, as my boy was sick at the same time I wasn't feeling great, so who knows!?

However, having gone through that, I have come out the other side feeling heaps better!! I feel I have more energy now, the fatigue has improved dramatically, when my bubba wakes me in the morning, I no longer dread having to get up and drag my feet all day. I also feel like I have a clearer head, and my skin no longer feels quite so dehydrated!!

I will also add this. Since giving up the coffee, I have pretty much given up artificial sugar (thanks to Art of Abundant Livings Raw Food classes) and soya, I'm not saying I will never, ever eat either again, but I believe this (more so the artificial sugar)also played a part in my energy levels, or lack of.

Anybody else have any experience with giving up the caffeine?

Raweo's and approximation measuring

Heeey!!!

So, I've been back in the kitchen the last few days. I recently came across some cacao powder that I found stuffed in the back of my kitchen cupboard. It was bought a few months ago when we holidayed in Sri Lanka. We went to a Herb and Spice Garden, and our guide gave us a whole heap of information about what's grown in Sri Lanka, how you can use a particular herb/spice for medicinal purposes or for beauty purposes etc. There was a shop at the end of our tour and we came out with a heap of goodies. One of which was Cacao Powder. I really would like to think it is as pure as they told us and as I'm assuming it's raw. I decided to make something on a whim. This was the result! For now, I shall call them Walnut and Cacao Balls

I know, they look pretty much like every other thing I've posted on here, but they are different I promise!! 

I've recently learnt about myself that I prefer approximations rather then measuring anything, and somedays this goes in my favour, but other days, not! I feel I have baked enough in my time to know how much 1 cup is, or 1 tablespoon etc, and I have watched my Mum many times having a lot of fun with just throwing something into a bowl....dang, she makes an amazing veggie 'approximated ingredients' stew!!  So I guess I also get a lot of it from my Mum...

Today was an approximation day...it turned out ok...

Here is what I did.

I used walnuts, and turned it into a powder (about 2 cups) I then threw in about 1/2 cup of raisins, 8-10 dates (these are quite small, not like the large medjool dates) a squidge of agave syrup, about 4tablespoons of cacao, and 2tablespoons of coconut oil. I whizzed in a food processor. I whizzed some more...unfortunately, I ended up with a bread-crumby type of consistency, for whatever reason, I decided at this point, it was a good idea to add coconut flakes, with little improvement to my mixture, but great for the taste!! I'm not sure what I may have done wrong...perhaps I should have used more dates? more Agave to bring it together? I don't know but I do know that if I handled it all quite delicately, with minimal rolling etc, I was just about able to get a ball shape out of the mixture. I then put them in the freezer for the coconut to solidify and for everything to set. Once out, they tasted good. A pleasantly nice combination of chewy and crumbly. Me and my hubby both thought that it was a bit biscuity and I just kept thinking that they looked like the biscuit part of Oreos. So I decided to make a Raw Vanilla Frosting to finish off this recipe...and this time I measured. Here are the Ingredients and what I did-

1 Cup of Cashews
3 tbs Agave
1 t Vanilla Extract
1 tbs Coconut oil

I blended the cashews until they became a butter. It took quite a few attempts of starting and stopping the blender to wipe down the sides etc, (this was my first attempt at butter so wasn't sure what I was looking for) eventually the Cashews go creamy and end up like this

This is what I think Cashew Butter should look like!!

I then put the Cashew Butter and the rest of the Ingredients in a food processor and whizzed until it had all come together to make a thick paste. Depending on how you like it, you could add more coconut oil to make the frosting a bit thinner (or maybe even water) as this came out quite thick (sorry I forgot to take a picture)

I then flattened the Raweo (were once called Walnut and Cacao Balls) balls to make a biscuit, but they just crumbled into a mess so I decided it was to become a Raweo Cake, and so the balls were now the base of the cake. I then the vanilla frosting on top and sprinkled some walnut base and coconut flakes on top of that!! 

It looked oddly like Cheese on toast! Ha!

I popped it into the freezer for an hour.

I couldn't wait to try it and once I cut a piece up, I was left this yumminess

It was delicious! The Vanilla frosting was soooooo good too, it reminded me of fudge! Be warned though! It is very filling and although I would say that it isn't overly sweet, it can leave you thinking hmmm I ate too much of that and be left with that sweet, sweet, sickly feeling. But believe me, it's worth it!

Overall though, this has been a lesson learnt. I'll be turning over a new measuring leaf and be saying bye bye to approximation fun. I enjoy the thrill of 'will this work, or wont it' but I'm finding myself increasingly frustrated for not knowing how I made it exactly!! I shall redo this recipe at some point, in order for me to get the exact measurements. I cant guarantee it will taste the same, but thats fine too...hopefully it will taste even better ;)

xx

Let's Talk Equipment!!

Hey!!
I've been asked by a few people what gadgets I use to make my food...so I decided to do a brief post on it with piccies.
First of all, I don't really have anything fancy, just the basics, which were bought at reasonable prices. I think it's a good way to start out, mainly so you know that the gadgets are actually going to get used! Secondly, I still have my eyes on the all amazing Vitamix blender, the ultimate machine for pureeing, smoothie making, nut butter making and I most recently learnt, dough making!! But maybe one day.

So onto the pics


The first set of pictures is a piece of equipment we bought in December 2011!! It's one device that has multiple uses. I've only just figured out how to use the Food Processor so it mainly sat in the cupboard for over a year, except for the juicer and blender part.

Juicer, I juice every thing in this, but my husband...

uses this, to juice his oranges, lemons etc

This is THE food processor

I've been using the food processor quite a lot recently, now I know what to do with it. I mainly use it for high powered chopping with a bit of mixing involved, so for example, the Ginger, Cinnamon Balls were made in this.

The Blender!

I use the blender for smoothie making, and soups and Raw Sauces. You would use this for a smoother/creamier texture to a recipe. I LOVE making smoothies with frozen fruit! It's like Ice Cream!!

Most recently, we got a Coffee Grinder, which was given to us for Christmas this year. I recently gave up coffee so was like...hmmm what am I going to use this for...well actually I've been using it quite a bit recently....

Coffee Grinder

To make this

Turn into this!!

The coffee grinder is great at making nut powders, the above picture is almond powder, great for Raw Recipes, or as a substitute for flour. Be careful not to grind too long as you will soon discover it turning into butter!!!

I also have a recently purchased Spiraliser

Hello Spiraliser!!

It turns your veggies into this

Courgette (Zucchini) Pasta...sooo pretty!

The Spiraliser is quick and simple to use, it raises eyebrows when served and becomes a bit of a talking point. You can pretty much use any veg and you really do save time in the Kitchen when you don't have to chop, chop, chop! I think it's been one of my best purchases, mainly because of the ease of use and time saved in the kitchen, added bonus, my boy loves to spiralise too. I like the fact that I don't even like courgette much, but spiralled with a bit of salt...it's pretty yum and I've been having it most days ever since! 

So that's pretty much the equipment I have been using. It all works just fine, it all gives me the results that I want. My only troubled issue is my blender, as I have had the bottom fall out a few times mid blend (it unscrews to wash the blades) thats really irritating and happens mostly when the blender is under a lot of pressure with hard foods (frozen food, nuts etc) I use at least one piece of equipment everyday (my poor neighbours) and have barely used the oven over the last month, and have barely (shock horror) even baked any sweet treats!! 

On a random note, I ventured out to the new Ikea in Doha today. It opened yesterday, so was expecting busy hellness, however, all was going well until we were greeted with this lovely queue...

Yes, the cashier was sat under the lit up number 10 with the arrow....

TTFN!! xx

Every Day I'm Truffling!!

Good Day!

I've been back in the kitchen, non-cooking up a storm! Har har!!

So with my Cacao stocks at an all time low (BOO), and already looking in two MegaMarts (Supermarkets) and having been told to try Spinneys, I was like 'you know what? The Cacao can wait!!'
THEN, the sweet tooth kicked in and I was like ARGH....NO CHOCOLATE!! So I hastily went online in search of a recipe that was raw and sweet and didn't include chocolate!!

I came across a website www.rawmazing.com that gave me a ton of ideas, but the one recipe that stuck out in my mind was the Raw Cinnamon Ginger Truffles! I didn't have all the ingredients, so I made it up as I went along! And actually, truth be told, I didn't even measure the ingredients (apart from the Almond Powder) I just approximated and threw it all into a food processor!!

TA DA!! This is what I was left with

Here are the Ingredients and the approximations!! I cannot guarantee you will get the same results, just do what you feel is right!!

1 cup Almond Flour

1tbs Cinnamon

Fresh Ginger (about half a tsp)

Fresh Nutmeg (about half tsp)

1/4 cup Raisins

3/4 Pitted dates

1/4 cup Agave

I put all the ingredients except the Agave Syrup into a food processor, whizzed until mixed, then added the agave and mixed until it formed a doughey/sticky like texture. Then I rolled them into balls and then rolled the balls in coconut!

The taste was really quite divine! But VERY VERY sweet. Probably because of the Agave Syrup and Date combination....for those of you that may not know much about Agave, here is a brief lowdown! 

Agave Nectar was discovered by the Aztecs who used it as a medicinal aid in healing wounds and infections. It is 10 times sweeter then Sugar, so you can use less of it in a recipe if using instead of sugar. It also has a low Glycemic Index, meaning your blood sugar levels wont go crazy when you eat the stuff...

Back to today...On this occasion, maybe I had used too much? Or maybe the Agave and Dates combined?( the original recipe asked for cranberries) . Although, still enjoyable, I was thinking 'I know I can make these better, what could I use instead?!' So, as I'm taking a look around my kitchen, I see it..staring right at me...some VERY over ripe bananas that had about 24 hours left in them!! That was it! That was the ingredient that would change this recipe, so I tried again!! 

It was a learning experience, that turned out fab in the end!!

So as I start up the food processor, food whizzing around, I throw in half a banana....nothing happens to the mixture, so i throw in the other half...still...nothing...another half banana.....o darn!! too much! The mixture is now WAAAY too gooey. I tried to roll some into balls, and although they formed some sort of shape they were just so soft and sticky and borderline unmanageable.  The only thing holding them together was the coconut. This was mistake number 1

Mistake Number 2, I let the Food Processor get hot from being on for too long, this added to the gooey problem. I ended up putting in more Almond Powder and (I already had this in my cupboard) some ground linseed and gojiberry to try and thicken it up a bit, I then decided to put the whole bowl of mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes. After it had cooled, it was easier to work with.

After I had finished rolling, I put some of the truffles into the freezer and some into the fridge. I left them overnight..

12 hours later...The truffles in the freezer didn't actually freeze. You could take the truffle out and eat it right away, they had hardened. It was delicious!

The truffles in the fridge also hardened, but were a lot softer...still just as delicious

I must say that I prefer the recipe using banana. It tasted more balanced and wasn't too 'in your face' sweet. My boy LOVED them too and I kept catching him in the fridge having a sneaky truffle. The best thing though, was that I didn't mind. They had no sugar in them and were actually good for him!! 

Here is a general idea of the final recipe (I doubled up this time too :))

2cups Almond Powder

2tbs or as much cinnamon as you like (I love it!)

1/2tsp Fresh Ginger

1/2tsp nutmeg

1/2cup raisins

5/6 pitted dates

1/2 to 1  small banana + a little bit of blending patience

Mix until it forms a sticky, dough like consistency.  Roll into balls, roll into coconut, sesame seed, cacao or whatever you like and VOILA!! A yummy, healthy sweet treat!!

Enjoy xx

Raw Finale

Yesterday was the final class in the 3 part Raw Food classes at Art of Abundant Living....the class focus was on desserts...yum yum...there were 4 desserts being made and these were - Apple Pie, Strawberry Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie and Kiwifruit Pops.
I was working on the Apple Pie and we had only 40 minutes to make the desserts!! 40 minutes...eek!! You would be surprised how little time it actually takes when there is no cooking involved, and all you have to worry about is presentation, (none of this will it rise? will it sink? will I burn it?, will it be cooked in the middle? malarky) and Its so surprising how creative you can get with these Raw ingredients of mainly nuts, fruit and Agave!
Here are some of the creations we made today

Raw Apple Pie

Raw Key Lime Pie

Raw Strawberry Cheesecake

My favourite of them all was probably the Apple Pie (I'm biased?) but a close second was the Strawberry Cheesecake. However, I would probably recreate the Strawberry Cheesecake. The reason? It's only because the Apple Pie contains figs and I'm not ever likely to have them in my apartment. I LOVED the colour of the Key Lime Pie, it was so vibrant, a real head turner, and it doesn't contain any artificial colour...no, it's what nature gave us!! Yum yum!!

I've had an absolutely brilliant 3 weeks. It's really inspired me to get more creative in the kitchen. Not only that, I will actually be able to make some tasty raw food rather than some lettuce leaves in a bowl dripped in salad dressing and thinking 'this is rather boring'...I was once told by a friend 'your food is so bland' well I hope that with the new found inspiration and a desire to make more interesting food, my friend will one day, eat her words!! (ahem!)

For more information about Raw food classes and other events please visit www.artofabundantliving.com  

Oh Oranges!

Over the last week or so I've woken up a few times to find a big jug of freshly squeezed orange juice on the counter top, made by my lovely husband! ! It makes me feel all giddy knowing that he's feeling the More Raw love atm. We do have a ton of oranges but having this every morning is just a perfect start to the morning! ! Go try it!!

Hows your IQ?

Today, it seems everyone is talking about traffic hell here in Doha.  Maybe it was a particularly bad day for it, but I can say I experienced it too when I boarded my vehicle with my lil man and took him to nursery. My usual 20 minute round trip journey took me 43 minutes!! Yes, I was sad enough to time it (red face). Even sadder then that,  I sat at some traffic lights and watched them turn from red to green 4 times! Whats wrong with that? I hear you say...well as any doha peeps know...if you are stuck at a red light, then you are in it for the long haul!! You will have time to do your make-up, read a magazine, drink your coffee......and wait...and wait. But anyway, we got through it..I got home...

My day improved when one of my good friends, Rachel Matthews, gave me a bar of chocolate. It's called IQ Chocolate and it was developed by her mum, Jane Shandley and her friend Kate Hamilton. They are Scotlands first bean to bar manufacturer using only the finest, organic ingredients. It is a superfood chocolate bar as it processed at a low temperature to ensure MAXIMUM, superior, superfood quality. So, this all tied in nicely with my recent chocolate raw class, I was intrigued to have a taste. So after a pretty hectic morning, I was looking forward to sitting down with a mug of green tea and some IQ chocolate...

OOOO...Lucky me...

Ok...So for the sciency bit. Why a superfood? Well RAW chocolate, or cacoa, contains high amounts of Polyphenols. Polyphenols contain high amounts of antioxidants which, is great for overall health. However, a lot of processing is usually involved in mainstream chocolate, which in effect destroys the antioxidant qualities. The less we mess with chocolate the more health benefits it gives us. See it really is good for us!! Back to today..

How does it taste?? Oh my word...it's delicious!  The perfect blend of smooth, bitter chocolate sweetened to perfection with Coconut Blossom Sugar! The added crunch of the cacao nibs finished it off and was like the icing on the cake!! I enjoyed every mouthful and polished the whole lot off!! It made my day, so thank you Rachel and Andrew Matthews for sharing your IQ Chocolate and letting me experience a little piece of chocolate heaven!! 

Enjoying my IQ Chocolate...nom nom

For more information go to www.iqingredients.com ...go on do it now now now!!

Park bazaar...park bizarre??

Hey...a late post...but anyhooow. Yesterday me and my boys went off to whats called The Museum of Islamic Arts..aka MIA. There is a wonderful park there for kiddies and lovely views of the city with a beautiful coffee shop on the water front. Every first Saturday of every month, in the winter, they have a Park Bazaar. It's a fantastic idea and a step in the right direction for 'things to do in Doha.' There were lots of stalls selling little trinkety things and hand made jewellery. In fact one of my friends was there selling her awesone designs! Check out her blog www.tribeofmannaquins.wordpress.com she does some pretty unique designs and it's all hand made. I bought a lovely purse off of her.

After a little wander we ended up in the food area...it waz a bizaare set up of home made foods in big crock type pots...but...I'm afraid it just didn't do it for me... maybe I didn't spend enough time there or we arrived too late, but I was expecting more....some healthy option foods....even maybe a vegetarian stand..but there really wasn't anything that WOWed me. Maybe its because I've eaten mainly raw foods for a few weeks and I was seeking out something Raw inspiring. Maybe it was because it was all very meaty and the smell of carcass made me want to hurl...whatever it was, I just wanted to get out of there pretty quick!! And so we did...

All in all a lovely afternoon spent with my 2 favourite people...

On a seperate side note...I really need to stop making raw truffles...they are sooo good I could eat them all day everyday!!

our first crop!!

Take a look at what we picked from our balcony this morning!! We were very excited! And can't wait to see what else we will soon be eating from our balcony oasis :-D

Our Home Grown Tomatoes!!

Farmers Market

Doha imports OVER 90% of it's food...90%?!!! Thats massive!!  With the lack of rain (I think it's about 6cm a year) AND the HOT summers of up to (and sometimes over) 50 degrees, is it any wonder that this tiny little country has to rely on outside sources? So we were over the moon to hear about a Farmers Market of locally grown produce...we just had to go and find out and support this amazing project! It is a little out of the way and you can only really buy in bulk, but thats still no excuse to miss this great opportunity and bag yourself a bargain. So off we went a few weeks ago, and again today!

All this yummy food at a fraction of the price that you would pay in the shops!...Lucky me

Just a little update...the Farmers Market currently operates in the winter time, on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday and are open from 7am until 7pm. I am not sure how long there 'winter' period is for. I've attached a map. It's located in Um Salal, just off the expressway/Al Shamal Road, past Landmark and Dhukan. Once you get nearer, you follow signs for Um Salal and follow the little fruit and veg signs which will take you straight there. 

Here is a little map for you too!!