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I really don’t know where this weekend has gone, it has flown over! I’ve been busy as ever but have really enjoyed myself :-) I’ve been living in my Ugg style boots (Next), leather hoody (Topshop) and faux fur scarf (New Look) to stay comfy and warm!

I’ve been drinking big mugs of Christmas coffee and black chai tea with coconut milk, Clippers Indian Chai tea is the best :-) I even managed to get in a run outside! I got up this morning planning on going to the gym, but it wasn’t that cold and apart from a bit of drizzle it was perfectly runable. I did 6.5 miles in 57.18 with an average pace of 8.55. I took it easy but towards the end I felt like I was flying!

I started my weekend on Friday evening by concocting a raw dish using some of the contents of my organic veg box which had been delivered that day. This was amazing!

Raw ‘December’ Salad (vegan, serves one as a main or two as a side)

• 2 large parsnips
• 2 large carrots
• 1 small apple
• 1/4 cup of dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup of walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley

Dressing:

• 3 tbsp of orange juice
• 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp of braggs or soy sauce (I used raw coconut aminos or you could just add a good pinch of salt)
• 1 tbsp of maple syrup
• 1 tbsp of hemp oil (or oil of choice)
• 1/4 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp of ground cumin

Begin by chopping the parsnip and carrot in a food processor using the S blade until they resemble rice (or you could try grating them). Finely chop the apple and mix into the carrot and parsnip ‘rice’ along with the cranberries, walnuts and parsley. Set aside and make the dressing by combining all ingredients in a bowl the pouring over the salad and mixing well. Leave to sit for a few minutes for the flavours to combine and serve:

This was just beautiful and so seasonal. The flavours were amazing and it was surprisingly filling, I think due to all the walnuts as they added a ‘meaty’ texture. I have to make this again soon!

On Saturday we did a little shopping and I picked up some tools for the allotment. James popped down with me and we took some measurements so I can design a plan, I’m so excited!

Behold, my little kingdom! Its going to take some work to shift those weeds but I know it will be worth it.

After that I spent a wonderful afternoon catching up with my parents, nephew, grandma and then my two best friends, bliss!

I made a gorgeous breakfast on Saturday inspired by Alissa’s Cherry Almond Mince Pies:

I loved the sound of the cherry, almond, sweet mincemeat combo so made it in porridge form! This was made with 1/2 cup of oats cooked in water, frozen cherries, apple juice sweetened sweet mincemeat, almond extract and some PB & Co Mighty Maple Peanut butter and flaked almonds on top. So good!

This morning post run I had a perfect chocolate cherry beet green smoothie topped with peanut flour sauce and cacao nibs:

Yesterday I made a fantastic salad using some black kale massaged with lemon juice and hemp oil, carrot, red pepper, beetroot, sauerkraut and a crumbled raw cracker:

I had another salady type lunch today using up some spinach, roast butternut and red kabocha squash, spicy roast chickpeas, dried cranberries and tahini miso sauce:

For dinners I made a Lentil Pie with Root Veg mash served with steamed broccoli and shoyu:

This was great, just red lentils cooked with onion, garlic, carrot and veg stock on the bottom topped with mashed parsnip and swede mixed with coconut milk, sweet white miso and nutritional yeast on top then baked in the oven.

A yummy late night snack included frozen blueberries with peanut flour sauce topped with cacao nibs and chocolate covered sunflower seeds:

My current fave snack / dessert has to be frozen berries with peanut flour at the moment, it just hits the spot!

Yesterday while at my friends I tried some of her Thai Red Vegetable soup with coconut milk, sweet potato, carrots, parsnips and lentils. It was unbelievable, I wish I’d taken a photo now. I’m going to have to get the recipe and make it myself. I’ve really enjoyed my food this weekend!

Ugg boots yes or no? I know they aren’t exactly the height of fashion, but nothing I usually wear ever is ;-) I’ve definitely been choosing comfort and warmth over style this weekend! Are you a fan of winter salads? I love my salads and the cold weather hasn’t stopped me enjoying them, I’ve actually really enjoyed using seasonal winter vegetables instead of my traditional salad veggies. I do like to balance out the raw food with plenty of warm cooked meals like my lentil pie and porridge – its all about a bit of balance I guess! Hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend!