New Year, Old Me…..just paying more attention to Time and Balance

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I rather like January, it is a month filled with family celebrations, lots of birthdays and parties. Britain’s ‘fresh start’ mindset is still clinging on but in reality we are probably now thinking that the comfort foods are definitely calling.

For me, Balance is going to be my key word for 2019, something which needs to apply to all aspects of my life…diet, mood, calendar. Why eat food which makes you miserable, it inevitably leads to overeating and, eventually, failure in whatever healthy path we put ourselves on. January is always diet month. There appears to be two types of dieter, the first fully embraces optimal health, posts images packed with colourful superfoods, understands the nutritional content and feels the buzz…the second tries to mimic ‘normal’ foods with low fat, low calories alternatives…these are the people who claim that potatoes sprayed with oil/water products and baked in the oven are a ‘real treat’ – they are only trying to prove this to themselves. Their diet, which, on the surface is filled with fruit and veg actually contains a lot of junk; fillers, palm oils, sugars. Yes, this is controversial, but subscribing to quality over quantity is manageable…for life.

Having been a member of a well known worldwide slimming club, I can see that only now, after several decades, are they finally coming round to a more holistic approach to diet and lifestyle. It is to be commended, but the number of people who criticise the company for making lean chicken, fish, fruit and pulses ‘free’ foods whilst their old ‘treats’ of cake bars etc ‘cost’ them far more than they ever used to, is quite astounding.

The UK is looking towards a more flexitarian approach to food, quality meat and fish, in smaller portions – with lots of lovely veggies, fruits and pulses…this isn’t really a diet, it’s just common sense. It’s all about engaging our senses…how much more pleasure can one get from a small toasted slice of sourdough spread with organic, cold salted butter and topped with a little rare-breed dry cured bacon, over a huge bowl of cereal drowned in skimmed milk? I know which I would choose, unquestionably.

Time is important, time to eat, time to relax, time to enjoy. Embracing the little things in life; a hot cup of leaf tea, one homemade delectable biscuit or a leisurely Sunday lunch with friends or family. January is a time of hibernation, of Cwtching Up as we say in Wales, of Hygge as favoured by the Danes. Drinking mugs of hot soup around a brazier on a frosty night or a family Pizza making frenzy, all these make us feel warm and comfortable and our worries are abandoned in that moment.

Mindfulness had become something of a craze, rather than something which is essential and natural to each and every one of us. Slowing down is, holistically, good for us,  and so many of us have forgotten how to relax, myself included. Living in the moment can be applied to everything, it creates a healthier mind and in turn a healthier body.

So, this month, you don’t need to subscribe to Dry January or Veganuary or anything ‘on trend’ – if a decent steak or G and T makes you happy, and keeps you in the moment….just enjoy it and leave the baggage and the guilt behind.

Time and Balance is the key.

In praise of Squash

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The squash family are very much in season at the moment; whether it be the familiar Butternut, the inelegant Onion Squash, the Turk’s Turban or the versatile Spaghetti Squash – and those are just a few – squash is both nutritious and surprisingly tasty and for those low-carb devotees contains only 8g per 100g. 

   
  Gloucestershire grown Squash from www.overfarmmarket.co.uk

 
Each variety is very different in taste, and there are so many ways to enjoy them. Classically, a good first dip into the world of the Squash is with a soup. Butternut Squash soup makes a lovely light lunch choice – and is surprisingly sustaining.

Autumn Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 6-8

Peel and dice one 1kg Butternut squash, making sure to scoop out the seeds

Fry one large onion  in 30g unsalted butter until the onion becomes translucent 

Add one small diced chilli, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp turmeric and stir in the butternut squash 

Make up 1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock (I use the gel pots) as directed and pour over the vegetables

Cover and reduce the heat, cooking for about 30minutes until the squash is very soft

Remove from the heat and blend with a stick blender or blender

Season to taste – if the soup is a little thick add a little more stock, if it is too thin reduce over a medium heat 

Serve sprinkled with some freshly chopped coriander and finely diced chilli – some wholemeal Indian flatbread eats very well with this soup 

Today, for lunch, I had a bit of a leftovers moment. I roasted some chunks of Onion squash, with the skin left on, with olive oil and a little salt and pepper, once they began to soften I added chunks of ripe fig and a drizzle of local honey. Serving as I salad, I drizzled with the caramelised figgy honey juice and topped with some small pieces of Bleu d’Affinois – a very mild French blue-rinded cheese (had I had some Welsh blue Perl Las www.cawscenarth.co.uk it could have been even more local). This melted beautifully in the soft buttery squash whilst the fig lifted the flavour and offered an autumnal decadence to the very simple dish.