#5 Feed your body, feed your mind

Hi hi hi… another week accomplished - go US!

I’ve actually not felt my best self this week - I know I probably sound like a broken record saying that butttt it’s the truth and you only get the truth around here. Apart from feeling a bit physically rubbish, I’ve also spent a bit too much time in my own head - which is always dangerous!! The anxiety around my health seems to have ramped up a notch again and I generally just feel a bit sorry for myself. When I feel like this, I tend to look for ways to try to ‘fix’ my worries, some of them require a bit of therapeutic help, but I also make sure I’m doing all that I can, personally, to assist in making things a bit better… for me this currently looks like: lots of yoghurt, sunshine and hitting the weights rack in the gym, I’ll elaborate on that more in a mo, but these have been some of my priorities this week.

Aside from being a bit mopey, I don’t have a huge amount to report. Having said that, I did have a GREAT hair wash on Monday morning - it generated a shiny, smooth mop that felt FRESH - a massive bonus given how tortuous a hair wash is. Another high point was rediscovering Garnier Micellar (oil infused) cleansing water - I’m so terrible with beauty stuff but this gets your make up off a TREAT - highly recommend if you haven’t tried it, OH AND, I treated myself to this jumper from Damson & Madder which I really love - gosh it’s been wild hasn’t it?

Before I enlighten you on a few other little gems, I just want to say another massive thank you for the support with my new book - I’m overwhelmed (as ever) with the reaction and wish I could personally hug you all… so please accept my virtual hug!

Right, let’s skip to the good bit…

Happy body happy mind

I think comfort comes in various different guises; sometimes it’s the sense that you’re doing all you can to make yourself feel better. Whether it’s getting out for some fresh air, reducing your screen time (mine is embarrassing, I need to do this) or nourishing yourself optimally, when you muster the motivation to make positive changes, it can be remarkably reassuring.

As a consequence of hormone deficiencies- specifically oestrogen, I have osteoporosis - low bone mass. Currently, I don’t suffer any major symptoms from this, although I’m more susceptible to fractures, BUT it’s something that needs to be treated and managed to protect me going forward*.

*(my specific condition - Functional Hypothalamic amenorrhea - is remarkably common amongst females - particularly: those in sport or those who overtrain to any extent, those who experience a degree of heightened ‘stress’ and/or those who, to some extent, restrict food intake or have a nutritionally suboptimal diet - combined, this can result in low body fat, menstrual dysfunction and poor bone health. The extent to which this condition goes unnoticed is worrying, I slipped through the net at 17, I was never taken seriously by my GP and I should have been. More needs to be done to raise awareness and protect people going forward. I haven’t specifically discussed this at great length before but am truly passionate about generating more awareness around the condition where possible - also apologies if this is something that doesn’t interest you at all, but on here you get every little bit of me and currently this bit is quite a big bit!)

Besides hormone treatment and specific medication, I have been prioritising a few things:

Calcium - I’m sure you’ve heard before that calcium builds strong bones - therefore this is a priority. I’m optimising my calcium intake both with supplementation and by making sure I’m getting plenty in my diet. Consequently, I am now a MEGA-fan of yoghurt - specifically my own (recipe below). I have been making it for a while but recently learnt a few more snazzy tricks to making it thicker and creamier and YUM! Cheese and milk also feature daily, and I try to sneak it into bakes where I can too! I also whack in plenty of leafy greens for good measure.

Vitamin D - Vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium, so this is also VERY important. It’s notoriously difficult to get sufficient vitamin D from our diets - although some special mushrooms, egg yolks and salmon pack a small punch so they are on the menu - therefore I’m currently on a pretty high dose supplement and getting as much sunshine as the UK will provide - annoyingly not a great deal.

Strength training - Ok so this is a cool one, I’m not entirely sure about the science here but essentially, by ‘stressing’ your bones, strength training helps to increase bone density and thus reduce the risk of osteoporosis. I have dabbled with weights in the past - frankly I find it boring, but… in the last few weeks, I’m making friends with it a bit and doing a couple of moderate strength sessions a week, they’re not the most fun but I feel better for it.

Fundamentally, I’ve spent a lot of this week working on myself physically, because we are understanding more and more that our brains & bodies definitely talk to each other, so we need to keep them friends.

Besides the above, I was fortunate enough to receive a copy Rhiannon Lambert’s new book ‘The science of Nutrition’ which I’ve found really useful. Over the years I have acquired a couple of nutrition qualifications - non-accredited, but led by credible professionals - as it’s something that I have always found interesting. I, therefore, have a basic understanding of nutrition - I am, by no means, a guru. Rhiannon’s book is a really concise, easily digestible insight into the benefits and importance of nutrition; it offers clear advice and debunks common myths with answers backed up by current evidence-based research - I thoroughly recommend it.

Homemade yoghurt

You don’t need make your own yoghurt of course, but a bit like sourdough and anything that takes time, it’s one of those slightly mind blowing but incredibly rewarding endeavours… every time I uncover a new batch of creamy yoghurt I feel like a proud mother. I personally think it’s WAY better than shop bought, and worth the small investment in a yoghurt maker, specifically, I use this one , and this is what I do:

Ingredients

1 pint (568ml) whole milk - preferably organic
45g Live plain yoghurt (I use yeo valley)

A flask or yoghurt maker
A digital thermometer

Method

Pour the milk into a clean saucepan, place over a medium heat and heat to around 85C on a digital thermometer (at this temperature you are killing off an bacteria and denaturing proteins to help the yoghurt set). Now, you can either immediately turn off the heat once this temperature has been reached OR hold at this temperature for 10-15 mins for a thicker set - try not to go above 88C or below 82C - but within this range is fine, and give it an occasional stir with a clean spatula.

After this time, turn off the heat and allow to cool to 45C. Meanwhile, sterilise your yoghurt pot by rinsing with recently boiled water & allow to dry fully. Measure the live plain yoghurt into a small bowl.

When the milk reaches 45C scoop out around 2 tbsp of milk and add to the yoghurt to loosen - at this point you want to work quite quickly as we don’t want the milk to lose much more heat. Add the yoghurt/milk slurry mixture back into the pan and stir well to distribute the yoghurt culture throughout the milk. Immediately transfer the mixture to the sterilised pot, seal the lid securely and place in the flask, I pop my flask on the top shelf in our airing cupboard to make sure it stays at a ‘warm’ ambient temperature, however, this isn’t strictly necessary. Leave for 12-18 hours before unveiling your cultured yoghurt. Pop in the fridge to chill for a good few hours before you get stuck in.

*the yoghurt will naturally separate - you can strain off some of the acid whey if you like super thick creamy yoghurt or just stir it in for looser style. Strain for 12-24 hours with a little salt and you can achieve ‘labneh’ - a super thick strained yoghurt with a distinctive sour taste.
**It also sometimes forms a bit of a skin on the surface which can be a bit grainy - totally normal - I don’t mind this and often just eat it off the top before stirring the remainder up - if you find it a bit of a weird texture you could discard it but really don’t because we don’t like waste right?
*** Reserve 45g of your homemade yoghurt to make subsequent batches.

ALL THINGS YOGHURT

So the yoghurt obsession also means LOADS of yoghurt-y recipes…

Apple & blueberry Bircher Muesli (overnight oats)

Ok I have agonised ridiculously over sharing this recipe - basically, I went on an overnight oat/bircher muesli mission, bear in mind, I already have a recipe that I thoroughly enjoy but you know me now, I’m always convinced there is better. After much faffing, I (probably quite predictably) ended up back where I started - I’m not sure whether this will be up your street, but a few of you have asked for the recipe so you’re having it anyway and I welcome feedback. Bonus features - nutritionally it packs a punch, its super quick to prepare and, in my opinion, tastes great!

Ingredients

50g Jumbo Oats (I use Mornflake)
90g Homemade yoghurt (alternatively: greek style, or a dairy free alternative - I like to opt for ones with a higher protein content)
90ml Semi skimmed milk (again whatever milk you prefer)
1 inch Ripe banana* (optional)
1 tbsp Mixed seeds lightly toasted
15g or 1 level tbsp peanut butter or roasted nuts (almonds work wonderfully)
1/2 apple grated
1/8th tsp cinnamon
50g frozen** blueberries

Method

Measure everything bar the blueberries into a bowl, mix thoroughly to combine. Add the frozen blueberries and stir through. Transfer to an airtight container - an old medium sized jar/ tupperware, or simply cover the bowl - and transfer to the fridge to soak overnight.
Grab and go the next morning - add a hand full of fresh fruit and a scattering of flaked almonds plus a drizzle of maple syrup or honey if you like it a little sweeter.

* I know this is an annoying amount of banana, but I find it adds just a little extra sweetness, I simply cover the exposed end of the remaining banana, reserve and use over the next few days.
**I use frozen blueberries because, firstly I find them sweeter in something like this - but also I find they keep it all cooler despite defrosting in the time that the oats are soaking.
***It may not be the most appealing colour having soaked it overnight, it still tastes great, but to limit the discolouration, you can add the apple, cinnamon and banana just before you come to eat it - the apple will retain its bite this way which is quite nice texturally.

SUMMERTIME SNACKS:

YOGHURT BARK

This has become a new favourite… potentially will be overtaken by something else but I like this gut loving calcium boosting little recipe. Plus if the weather ever decides to improve, this is a great little cooling, creamy snack. Obviously you can scale this up if you want more yoghurt goodness.

Ingredients

150g Plain yoghurt
15g Runny honey or maple syrup
A handful of frozen berries
20g Toasted mixed nuts roughly chopped

Method

Combine the yoghurt and honey. Spread onto a baking tray lined with parchment - don’t go too thin - 5mm ish - I spread mine into an approximately 15x18cm rectangle. Sprinkle over your fruit and nut and pop in the freezer to set firm - a couple of hours should do it.

INSTANT FRO-YO

I know this has been on the scene for a while but if you haven’t whipped up an instant ‘Fro-yo’ before, you’re missing out, recipes vary quite a bit but personally you get the best consistency with the following ratio:

Combine: 150g frozen berries (frozen banana also works well), 75g natural yoghurt and approximately 1/2 tbsp runny honey or maple syrup in a food processor, blend until just smooth - it sometimes needs scraping down from the sides a bit to help it out. Scoop out and serve.

Milk Rolls

Right - these are the rolls I posted a photo of on my instagram stories on Sunday and you all went a bit crazy for, I had no intention of sharing the recipe, so I will admit it’s been tested once, but I have done similar before so it should work and I couldn’t let you down by not sharing it. They were unbelievable good so I thoroughly recommend giving them a go - chomping into a pillowy soft bread roll has to qualify as one of the most comforting foodie pleasures right?

Ingredients

190g Whole milk
200g White bread flour
50g Wholemeal bread flour
20ml orange juice*
20g runny honey
5g (approx 1 tsp) Instant dried active yeast
5g Sea salt
20g Butter

Method

First scald the milk - measure it into a saucepan, place over a medium heat and bring to 85C. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, combine the flours into a medium sized bowl, add the yeast to one side of the bowl and the salt to the other. Once the milk has cooled to about 35C, re-measure, you need 165g - discard any excess, add to the flours along with the orange juice and honey. Use a spatula to bring together into a sticky dough. Cover and leave to autolyse for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes - knead, either by hand or in a mixer, for around 8-10 minutes or until smooth. Add the butter and continue to knead until it reaches full gluten development and is smooth and elastic, around 5 minutes - if you’re not quite sure whether it’s ready, give it a 10 minute rest, and check again - in this resting period, further gluten bonds will form, the enzymes present in flour will begin to break down the proteins which makes the dough super elastic & developed - more science wizardry. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and transfer to a warm *moist* environment - I use my oven with just the light on and pop a small bowl of recently boiled water in the bottom of the oven to create a little moisture. Leave to prove for around an hour and a half or until doubled - even tripled in volume.

Once risen, punch the air out of the dough and divide into 9 chunks - around 50g. Roll into tight balls and transfer - evenly spaced - to a lined 7 inch square tin. Cover and leave to prove -back in the warm environment - for another 1-1.5 hours or until really puffed up. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan, (If you were using the oven to prove your buns, remove them first approximately 20 minutes before you intend to bake). Once proved, uncover the buns and sift a little flour over the tops, bake in the oven for around 20-23 minutes - the internal dough temperature should be around 93C.

Once baked, remove from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Then unveil the FLUFF, smear in butter and dunk in tomato soup for a real comfort VIBE.

NOTES:

*The splash of orange juice helps to both neutralise the bitter flavour that can come from wholemeal flours AND can further enhance elasticity/gluten development of dough, particularly necessary when using wholemeal flours.
** An extra TIP: I haven’t included this step above and wasn’t going to write it because I thought it was a bit faffy, but I recently learnt this and thought it was a nugget of information that may be useful to bread fans out there. When baking with wholemeal flours, the bran/germ element of the flour can interfere with gluten development. SO… sift your wholemeal bread flour, the bran element will remain in the sieve, it usually accounts for approximately 10% by weight - in this case 5g. Transfer this to a small bowl and mix with an equal weight of your liquid element, allow this to soak while you knead the main dough. Once medium gluten development is achieved, add back your soaked bran and knead in (with the butter if applying this technique to the recipe above) until full gluten development is achieved.

Quality cupcakes

I’m not sure these really constitute a cupcake - they’re way more sophisticated than your average excessively sweet offering - loaded with nuts and fruit, they’re a pretty wholesome snack. They’re also super simple to prepare, which is always a massive bonus!

Ingredients

100g Unsalted butter melted
Zest of 1/2 lemon
90g Ground almonds
30g Desiccated coconut
125g Golden caster sugar
35g Plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Large eggs
1/4 tsp almond extract I used Nielsen Massey
pinch of sea salt
75g Frozen raspberries
15g Flaked almonds

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Line a cupcake tin with 8 paper cases. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat, add the lemon zest, once melted, set aside to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, combine the ground almonds, desiccated coconut, sugar, flour, baking powder & salt in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs with a fork.

Once the butter has melted, whisk it into the eggs (again with a fork) with the almond extract, until they’re well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients mixing until just combined. Add 50g of the frozen raspberries - directly from the freezer, to the batter and gently fold through - they have a tendency to clump together a bit, try to make sure they are fairly well spread through the mixture. Distribute the batter evenly amongst the paper cases - again make sure you get an approximately even spread of raspberries in each case - its a bit faffy, but all will be grand. Dot the remaining 25g of raspberries evenly into the tops of each cupcake - press them in a bit, then sprinkle over the flaked almonds.

Bake in the oven for around 25-28 minutes - they go from underbaked to overbaked quite quickly so just keep an eye on them, they’re done when a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Once baked, allow to cool on a wire rack, dust with icing sugar - purely aesthetic, and dive in! Also great reheated in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds and served with cream!

OTHER THINGS YOU ALSO NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

• One of my wonderful neighbours Val (and her dog Barney) stopped me on Thursday to congratulate me on my first book The Joy of Baking - honestly she completely made my day, so thank you Val!

• Crispy chickpeas - and I mean CRISPY - ok, bit niche guys but if you have ever tried to make ‘crispy’ chickpeas and ended up with either a burnt offering or kind-of semi soft vibe, I hear you. Well, I seem to have found the tricks of the crispy chickpea trade… start with Bold bean co Queen chickpeas (they truly are the best) rinse and drain them WELL (I MEAN WELL!), rub them with paper towel or a tea bowl - if you can be bothered to remove the skins, it helps - yes it’s a faff! Drizzle with a little oil and season with salt ONLY, bake them (on a baking tray) at 190C/170C fan for about 40-50 minutes shaking the tray periodically. Season with any flavourings once baked. Leave to cool on the tray. Use as a salad topper or enjoy as a snack! YUM.

• A simple white tin loaf, with butter and Jam (with a twist of salt!). Ok, please name a more settling, comforting, mouthful than a jam butty (white bread only allowed). Thursday I baked this little white loaf:
  400g Strong White bread flour, 7g instant active dried yeast, 7g salt, 10g caster sugar, 25g Softened unsalted butter, 250ml tepid water.
  Autolyse for 20 minutes, knead for 10 minutes, prove in a warm spot for 1 hour or until doubled (even tripled) in size, knock back, shape and pop in a loaf tin, prove for another hour or until very well risen, bake at 200C fan for 30 minutes - remove from the tin and give it another 5 minutes directly on the oven shelf. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Slice her up, butter, jam, salt (just a pinch - it’s a game changer, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it), DONE.

  

• A BOOK… ok so I’m not the best reader; my mind wanders so much that I end up completely losing the gist of most stories, consequently get frustrated that I have no clue what is going on and give up on the book, but this one - Everything is beautiful, by Eleanor Ray, I really enjoyed. A bit of an Elinor Oliphant is completely fine vibe (also a great book by the way). I found it little tonic for the soul; there’s light romance, intrigue and , for me, a very relatable protagonist at its heart.

• Sport - I just am HERE for it.. all of it. There have been loads of Diamond league athletics events on, which I thoroughly enjoy, there was Nadal being the legend that he is in the French open last Sunday, then there’s Le Mans 24h, & more Formula 1 this weekend… I love it ALL!

• And finally, a quote we all loved this week:

“You’re not missing out on anything while you’re making your life better.”

I’m worried that this weeks TCC edition is all a bit of a serious affair - apologies. I guess it’s a bit of reality in regards to my week. I do, however, have a few ideas of ‘pick-me-up bakes’ for next week so hopefully things will be a little brighter and sweeter by next Sunday. Hope you are all doing ok… and if you’re not, don’t despair, just keep doing your best. Sending all the love and hugs! xxx