Vulnerability
As humans we are designed to be connected to our surroundings, to nature, to the food that nature provides. Going out for a walk + slowly moving through the land, mindfully, looking around with calm purpose, is incredibly meditative. It is SO calming for the nervous system, I cannot tell you. It is SO natural! It is a forgotten part of who we are, but it is one that I am ready to fully remember, and I am committed to helping others do the same.
Moon Mushroom Cacao
One of my close friends went to a festival this summer + showed moon shaped mushroom chocolates on her Instagram stories. I instantly fell in love + wanted one! So I set out to find a mould + came up with my own! Here is the result!
Mushrooms
We are now firmly in wild mushroom season. If you’d asked me two months ago if I’d reach the point within a two month period, that I could confidently eat 10 wild mushroom varieties then I’d not have believed you. I’m hugely aware of the risk of getting it wrong, and, unlike in other regards, when it comes the possibility of dying from eating a mushroom, I’m not interested in spinning the wheel + hoping for the best. However, I’ve surprised myself.
The Mothership
My whole life really has led to this point. I have never been one to follow the status quo. I have always been striving for something different + something more. Since the beginning of 2020, I have been 'encouraged' to do even more, initially out of the perceived need, but now more + more out of the joy that comes from creating this life with even stronger foundations than I had before.
Freedom of choice
Our choices right now are everything. We may feel that we are having limitations put on us left, right + centre, and that life may be a bit trickier for those of us who choose a particular way, but ultimately we do have choice, and with that comes freedom.
12 (+) years of Motherhood
As I am moving into my 40s in just a month or so now, I realise how true it is that, regardless of having a physical child or not, how much important work we are called to do through this stage of our lives as a woman. Our 30s + 40s call upon us to really know who we are + the gifts that we bring to this world. More + more women of this age are breaking free from the chains that society has tried to pin them down with, and they are realising their potential.
Foraging - My Journey So Far
As humans we are designed to be connected to our surroundings, to nature, to the food that nature provides. Going out for a walk + slowly moving through the land, mindfully, looking around with calm purpose, is incredibly meditative. It is SO calming for the nervous system, I cannot tell you. It is SO natural! It is a forgotten part of who we are, but it is one that I am ready to fully remember, and I am committed to helping others do the same.
Cacao Tahini Date 'Green' Smoothie
My friend Rania makes these most amazing dates stuffed with almond butter. She has reminded me of how much I love dates stuffed with tahini and cacao. So I have mixed it here in a smoothie.
Tying up loose ends
In November, I turn 40 and one thing that is coming up in me though is the feeling of change within me as this new decade comes upon me. It isn't because I am spending time thinking really at all about my upcoming 40s, it is in most ways just a number to me, but it is interesting to observe the subtle but noticeable shifts in my mindset around what I want for myself over the next years of my life.
Winding Down & Preparing
This year has seen me learn a lot about growing my own food. We designed + built our own kitchen garden in the back of our house, and I set to work growing in it. One of the things I have learnt is that waiting until March is not ideal to properly have a chance of growing your own garden. Whilst the winding down is happening now, the preparation is too.
Ready for another year of homeschooling
We have learnt so much, and no doubt have more to learn. I am so grateful for the additional sovereignty this experience has brought us all as a family. I truly believe that most families would love the experience of homeschooling too, despite inevitable hesitations, I feel confident most would find great joy in making it work in their own way. Even if homeschooling isn’t for you (in which case I suspect you won’t have reached this far into this blog), I do believe there are many ways you can work to bring your family back to you a little more, and this year has seen me grow a real passion to help as many families as possible do that.
Magic Mushroom Smoothie
Mushrooms go everywhere in my food these days. In my morning cacao, in my banana ‘nice’ cream, in my main meals (perhaps more obviously!), and every morning in my smoothie. I won’t bombard you with all the reasons why here, because I have already done it in a detailed, and hopefully interesting, blog post, which you can read here.
She is Mother
Then one day the earth around her shook. It shook so hard, that cracks started to form around her body. The earth started to part and glimmers of her light started to shine through. She knew there was no hiding anymore. She knew that the time was now.
Chocolate Courgette Muffins
I used to have a recipe for chocolate courgette muffins, that I shared on a on one of my cleanses a few years ago, but they weren't vegan. I have been meaning to make a vegan version, and so this year for my Spring Cleanse I created one. They were incredibly popular, and people keep making them for their friends, and then I get asked for the recipe, so I thought I would make it easy to find by putting it on my blog - so here it is!
Rise Mother Rise
You are the vessel of creation.
Creation of life.
Creation of harmony.
Creation of beauty.
Creation of love.
Creation of peace.
Creation of abundance.
Sweet + Sour Radish Pods + Black Beans
I let my radishes grow very tall + go to seed because the guinea pigs love the leaves more than I love the radishes! To my delight the flowers turned to pods, which I ended up googling + discovering were edible! This is the first thing I created with them + it is delicious! You could do the same with mange tout or any kind of podded vegetable.
Tempeh, Red Pepper + Millet Soup
This won’t be for everyone. When I was first cooking with tempeh I had no idea what to do with it. It is a fermented soy bean, which beans it is much easier to digest than tofu for example (although you can buy some brands of tofu that are made from fermented soy bean now). It is more textured than tofu, and most people find it unpleasant. The fact that it often has black bits on it, which look like mould (and in fact I believe are mould), doesn’t help. On searching for recipes I came across this one, way back when. It was on a totally random website, which was dedicated to tempeh. It is a completely seemingly random mix of ingredients, but we loved it so much it ended up in my handwritten recipe book that I keep in my kitchen. I am intrigued what you think when you try it.
Is recovery ever complete?
For those who don’t know, for a multitude of reasons, I suffered with an eating disorder in my late teens, all the way through my 20s. When I became pregnant with Caleb at 28 I stopped starving myself + purging if I ate over a specific amount of calories per day. I decided I would look after myself, for him (not yet for me). After he was born, I regressed slightly, but when he was two my world was flipped upside down. I met my friend Ania, who at the time was training to be a Health Coach, and she opened my eyes to a world which led me to create a true connection with my body, based on respect. I think having just had a baby, seeing the miracle of life, of the human body, first hand in that way, really helped cement for me how miraculous my own body was, and I really felt called to truly care for it.