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Hi everyone, hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend! I’ve been up to lots so I apologise for this long post!

First things first – a running update. Today I ran 6.2 miles in 54 min average pace 8.43! I was so worried about running with my knee injury. The first two miles were completely pain free, then I started to get a tightness in my left leg and knee – not so much pain, more tension. At that point I did think of stopping but I continued and by mile 4 I was ok as most of the tension had loosened up. I felt like I could have continued to run for longer and been ok, so I’ve decided that I am going to try the Great North Run next week! I have another physio appointment next week and I think if I stay off running again this week and ice and foam roll I’ll be ok (fingers crossed). It has been a little sore today but things are definitely looking up!

How lush is this coat? I spotted this on a quick trip into Durham, it is now top of my wish list!

Mustard Velvet Tie Double Breasted Coat, Topshop, £75

Thanks for the comments to my Fresh Start Friday post, it seems that I’m not the only person suffering from an attack of the snack monster on a regular basis! I also really valued the helpful comments about reassessing my diet to make sure that I’m eating enough, and enough of the right stuff. I responded to all those comments so take a look if your interested. I have been a lot better this weekend but have totally failed in avoiding chocolate. I ended up giving in an eating lots of raw chocolate covered goji’s and a couple of squares of Lindt 90% – so at least not too sugary! I’ve also eaten loads of fruit:

Strawberries, kiwi, melon, apple plus lots and lots of unpictured plums, blueberries, more apples and oranges, yum!

Ironically, given that I’m avoiding nut butters right now, I accidentally ended up making my first ever home made nut butter!

I was making some raw cookie dough bars (recipe to come!) and had been processing some cashews and almonds when they looked like they might turn into a butter. I had thought that my little processor would not be able to handle making a nut butter but I added a little organic grape seed oil and salt and ended up with this amazing raw salted almond cashew butter! I did have a tiny taste but successfully managed to avoid digging right in, which given my recent behaviour with nut butters is a big win! I’m going to try making my own raw version of chocolate hazelnut butter!

Other than the chocolate, eats have been pretty clean but tasty. For breakfast yesterday I has this tasty smoothie:

Inspired by Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut Smoothie! I blended kale, romaine, mixed frozen berries, 2 plums, carob powder, stevia, 1/2 tsp of almond extract, barley grass powder, mesquite, msm, stevia, water, ice and xanthan and guar gum with raisins, flaked almonds and walnuts on top. This was gorgeous, adding the almond extract really pushed this over the edge of pure deliciousness!

I’ve also enjoyed my usual weekend green juices containing cucumber, celery, lemon and ginger:

For lunch yesterday I made a really gorgeous bowl of courgette pasta with the most delicious avocado sauce:

I based the avocado sauce on my creamy dreamy avocado dressing but used basil instead of parsley and added 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast and a dash of braggs liquid aminos. I topped the bowl with some olives and more basil. This was seriously amazing!

Today I had a tasty snack plate with some Squash Dip made with butternut squash, veggies a thick RAW pitta bread and some of my home made raw sundried tomato flax crackers:

For dinner I was inspired by a very simple dish in Thrive Foods (just received this and enjoying reading it!) called Kitchari which is basically just red lentils and brown rice cooked together. I decided to add more flavour with coconut and ginger:

Coconut Ginger Lentil and Rice Stew (makes 2 servings, vegan)

• 1 tsp of coconut oil (or oil of choice)
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger minced
• 1/2 cup of red lentils, rinsed
• 1/2 cup of rice of choice (I used a mix of brown basmati and red rice)
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of coconut milk (I used reduced fat)
• 1/2 tsp of vegetable bouillon powder (I used vegan marigold)

In a large pan, warm the coconut oil on a medium heat. Once melted add the ginger and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the lentils and rice and stir to coat in the ginger and oil. Add the water, vegetable bouillon and coconut milk. Simmer for 30 - 40 minutes until the stock has been absorbed and the rice and lentils have cooked.

I served mine topped with parsley alongside some butternut squash roasted in coconut oil, steamed broccoli, spring greens and kale. This was lovely, it had a nice creamy texture from the coconut milk and a slight kick from the ginger, a perfect dish for when you are craving simple but satisfying food.

This morning I went for more green smoothie action:

This contained romaine, half an avocado, vanilla sun warrior protein powder, coconut water, spirulina, maca, msm, ice, xanthan and guar gum topped with goji berries and bee pollen. I love avocado in smoothies as they make them so creamy!

Tonight for a little dessert I made the wonderful Katie’s Chocolate Covered Ice cream with raspberries using water, raw cacao and stevia:

Heaven in a bowl!

How has your weekend been? I’m so pleased that things are getting more positive, both for my knee and my snackiness issues! I probably will be doing a fuller post about my eating and snacking and what not at some point, especially as it seems to be a topic that a lot of us can relate too and have an option on. I love the foods that I’ve eaten this weekend, which despite being ‘clean’ (I hate that phase, I certainly don’t think any foods should be labelled as dirty!) have been exceptionally tasty too! That avocado and courgette pasta dish was the bomb, and the simple mix of rice and lentils in the stew was perfect! What foods do you crave when you feel the need to eat better?