Bee Happy Kitchen

Now I love a hot breakfast, I like my green smoothie but I LOVE a hot breakfast. This breakfast soup combines my fave breakfast ingredients and the goodness of bone broth and turmeric. I take a wok and to it I add the following...

- tsp of coconut oil and I heat the pan on a medium - high heat

- take two pork sausages (Sainsbury’s gluten free) and I remove the meat from the casing and make eight meatballs. Fry them in the oil until golden.

- add a handful of halved mushrooms and fry them with the meatballs

- add three cups of bone broth, a thumb size piece of ginger (peeled and grated), 1/2 tsp of turmeric and a good pinch of chilli flakes as well as salt and pepper. Simmer for about 8 minutes.

- whilst the soup is simmering whisk two large eggs in a bowl, once the soup has simmered for about 8 minutes pour the egg into the pan through a large slotted spoon to create ribbons of egg. Simmer for another couple of minutes and then pour into a bowl. 

I love bone broth, I love making it and I love incorporating it into my daily diet. I make my version of this golden elixir with chicken carcasses from the butcher and chicken wings from the supermarket, here is the full recipe...

Into a slow cooker I put...

- 1 chicken frames

- 1/2 a pack of chicken wings

- 1 leek

- 2 carrots

- 2 celery sticks

- 1 onion

- 1 bulb if garlic (halved)

- 1 thumb of ginger (bruised)

- 2 tbsp of organic apple cider vinegar

- Fresh herbs, parsley, thyme and/or rosemary (I just use what needs using up)

- salt and pepper

I start my day with a shot a unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar and a glass of green tea with lemon, honey and cinnamon.

For breakfast I make a large match green smoothie.

In a blender I put 250ml of coconut water and a handful of ice, I switch the blender on and then I add...

- 1/4 of a cucumber

- the juice of a lime

- 1 apple with the core removed

- the flesh of an avocado

- a hand full of kale or spinach

- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of matcha green tea powder

- 1 teaspoon of chai seeds (optional)

TRY: I love my coffee and I love my bulletproof coffee even more.

The first week in January for most people marks the start of their new diet and healthy lifestyle. December is always an indulgent month and by the time January comes round, you make those promises to yourself that things are going to change. I have seen people in the past throw away all the left over food, sweets etc in a bid to start a new healthy lifestyle. Well personally I hate food waste, it really does drive me mad and also I think it is a sure fire way to fail if you change your lifestyle so dramatically.

With this is mind I am declaring the first week in January is “Transition Week”. Now this isn’t a total cop out, it actually makes sense. Give yourself a week to starting drinking more water, lots of green tea and the odd coffee or even the odd glass of wine. Also give yourself a week to slowly introduce the Paleo Diet to your daily lifestyle, use up the leftovers, finish off those last few treats but make sure that where you can you are eating and drinking according to the rules of Paleo Diet and doing some form of daily exercise like a great long walk (lets face it the gym will be mad busy this week). I also believe that you should not weigh yourself until after Transition Week, stepping on the scales on January 1st is enough to bring on the blues so instead give yourself a weeks grace but be active and follow the Paleo Diet where possible but don’t beat yourself up if you eat the last of the Christmas cake or meet your friend for a belated Christmas drink.

So it’s hello 2017 and goodbye...

Welcome to Bee Happy Kitchen. I have been toying with the idea of writing a blog for sometime but I have never got round to it. Now, as we kick off a new year I thought that this would be the perfect time to start.

In a few weeks I shall turn 42 years old and I think it is fair to say that I eat what I want, drink what I want and I do very little exercise. I love eating out and I love cooking meals for my partner, friends and family. As much as I love cooking and eating I do not love how my body looks, to say that I have a “Dad Bod” would be an understatement. Have I let myself go? Hell no!!! I have just enjoyed myself but it is time to take a grip of my life and make some serious changes.

Last year I found the Paleo Diet and I really got into it, I loved it!!! Within days I could see and feel a real change in my attitude, in my skin, in my sleep pattern and most of in how my body looked. I stuck with the diet and I lost almost two stone. I was thrilled, I have not felt so good and looked so good in a very long time. However I didn’t keep it up and the weight crept back on as did the sluggish moods and the terrible sleeping pattern. Eating “clean” and sticking to the diet really did make a vast improvement and my commitment to myself is to change my lifestyle so that I look my best, feel my best and above all else improve my health. I am no stranger to fad diets and silly new years intentions however this year I feel different, I know that I have to make these changes and hopefully blogging about it will help me stick to the plan.