The self-love diaries part 1: A new kind of comfort eating

Hey, everyone. I’m starting this because I am embarking on an intrepid journey to self-love and recovery after a bit of a rough patch I’ve had recently (tmi?) and I thought that it was only fair to let you in on some of the stuff I’m doing too.

Doing positive action can help you mentally too, and even if you don’t have mental health issues it is a good idea to take time out to do nice stuff for yourself and your body.

This first post will be about eating. Comfort eating, stodgy food like chips, pizza and crisps and chocolate can feel like a nice, carby, fatty blanket at the time, but it always makes you feel stodgy (and makes me feel guilty and greasy) afterwards and isn’t really that good for your body. It has its place but sometimes body worship by feeding it stuff that nourishes it and tastes fresh and good too is a better way to cheer it up. So here is a day’s meal plan which includes fresh amazing food which is fun to make and delicious to eat and will make you feel great about yourself and your body. It’s like a spa for your tummy. Bon appetit. 

BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE

Yes, this features on every ‘healthy day plan’ but bear with. It has a twist. Try not to use frozen fruit if you can, most supermarkets in summertime have deals on slightly gross-looking soft fruit that is just on the brink of being overripe. This is perfect for smoothies and you can pick up loads of yummy fruit for cheap. Markets are a good shout too. Scour them for deals, barter if you can.

Ingredients:

A decadent few handfuls of whatever fruit is on deal, I used some squishy, fresh raspberries and sticky peaches and deep purple plums. 

A dollop or two of vanilla soy yoghurt

Splash of unsweetened almond milk

A sweet dribble of maple syrup

Chop and pit fruit if necessary, this is so therapeutic and makes your hands nice and sticky, like you’ve been foraging! Whizz everything together in a blender, or use a stick blender, and pour into a couple of cups. Enjoy with a friend.

I had mine this morning with wholegrain toast spread with peanut butter and topped with dark chocolate chips and banana. Yum.

BADASS SUPERSALAD LUNCH

Don’t wince at the word ‘salad’, this is not a salad for the faint-hearted. It is packed with protein and spicy, zesty, fresh-tasting, healthy yummyness. It makes enough to bring to a nice al fresco picnic or to save for the rest of the week.

Ingredients

1 can of kidney or canellini beans, 1 can black beans, a handful of cherry tomatoes, a chopped pepper, jalapenos, a handful of fresh, tinned or frozen corn, 1 clove crushed garlic, salad leaves, a splash of lemon juice, a handful of fresh, chopped coriander, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, juice of a squeezed lime.

Whisk together in a small bowl the olive oil, the lemon and lime juice, the coriander and the garlic.
Layer the salad leaves in a bowl mix together on top the corn, beans, tomatoes and pepper. Sprinkle the jalapenos on top.

Serve with corn tortilla chips, guac, and a smile.

OK, I CHEATED. YOU CAN HAVE PIZZA.

Think how pleased you’ll be with yourself when you make your own dough. Don’t be scared, it really is pretty easy! Also think how happy you will be when you find out that this pizza contains next to no fat, and is bursting with fresh goodness! Whack on some Eliza Doolittle and get cooking.

Pesto base

100g rocket leaves, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and black pepper, 4 tbsp pine nuts, splash of lemon juice

Just blend these all together with a stick blender until smooth! Shazam!

Pizza base

320g plain white flour, 1X7g pack fast action dried yeast, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp sugar, 1 cup warm water, 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp cornmeal/polenta

Mix flour, salt, sugar and yeast together in a bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the water and oil. Stir well, then knead gently in the bowl for 5 minutes, then let rest, covered with a teatowel, for 10 minutes. Grease a baking sheet and sprinkle your cornmeal/polenta over it. Stretch the dough into a big rectangle and place on the baking sheet, on a tray. Spread the pesto over the base, then sprinkle over the top any veg that you want, preferably fresh veg! I used tomatoes, mushrooms, artichokes and sweetcorn.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200c for about half an hour until it is golden around the edges. Enjoy with gusto.

YOU CAN HAVE CHOCOLATE PUDDING TOO, BECAUSE I LOVE YOU.

Don’t be put off by the avocados in this. You won’t be able to taste them and avocado is so, so good for you.

Ingredients:

30ml maple syrup, 2 ripe and squishy avocados, 1 ripe banana (I like them so ripe that they start to go all sweet and caramelise), 1 tsp vanilla extract, 45g cocoa powder, pinch of cinnamon 

Simply peel and chop the banana then skin, pit and chop the avocados, combine all the ingredients together and whizz up either in a blender or with a stick blender.

Serve in pretty little teacups, with dinky teaspoons. Enjoy!