Week two - Why you should be drinking more water

Week two of the Mini pledges concentrates on drinks. The challenge this week is to only drink water, tea and coffee. One glass of fruit juice is allowed a week as is the occasional glass of wine. We generally do pretty well with this as we drink slot of water and avoid fizzy drinks. We do however like the occasional glass of squash which we have used up and not purchased. I personally don't drink alcohol but my husband tends to only drink alcohol on special occasions. With tea and coffee this week it can only be sweetened with maple syrup or honey. I've tried honey in my peppermint tea which was nice but my husband has yet to try these replacements in his coffee.

I know that drinking water can be challenging for many people which is why I want to give a few tips on how you can drink more.

 There are many reasons you should be drinking more water and in the post I will be covering some of them. The body is made up of about 60% water so it is important for a healthy body to make sure that you are drinking enough.

 Benefits of drinking more water include:

• Less headaches and higher concentration levels
• Clearer skin and eyes
• Could help you lose weight - water has 0 calories and thirst can often be confused with hunger
•  Flush out waste easier 
• Helps you avoid sugar and chemicals found in other drinks.

Ways to help you drink more water include carrying a reusable water bottle around with you. You could also purchase a drinks dispenser. We got one that looks like this for christmas.

We put fruits in such as lemons and limes which help make the water more appealing. Or 100% not from concentrate juice which we dilute down.

Some people I know use an app to track how much water they are consuming or set reminders on their phones. Do you drink enough water?

Meal plan 5/1/2015

On Monday we will be starting our 100 days of real food mini pledges. Follow the link for more information. The first challenge is to have two fruit or vegetables portions with each meal.

For breakfast we have a mixture of Slow cooker porridge, yogurt with fruit and mini omelettes (blog post coming soon). I don't plan these as I tend to make a small batch at the beginning of the week and a batch about half way through.

For lunch my husband tends to eat leftovers or soup. While I like to cut up a selection of foods such as carrots, cucumber and apples with cheese and crackers.

Our dinner plans for this week are,

• Monday - tacos and salad
• Tuesday - stuffed peppers with leftover mince meat
• Wednesday - leftovers and soup
• Thursday - veggie omelette and soup
• Friday - chicken, pecan and feta salad 
• Saturday - veggie pancakes with leftover chicken
• Sunday - whole roasted chicken and frozen veggies

I will post some pictures throughout next week with how there turned out. Have you done a meal plan this week? Claire

Healthy 'truffles'

I recently made these 'truffles' which were a hit. Anybody who knows me knows what a sweet tooth I have so I made these for my mid afternoon sugar cravings.

You will need,

• 1 cup of nuts- I used pecans 
• 1 cup of dates
• 2tbsp nut butter- I used almond but have also used peanut before
• 2tbsp cocoa powder- I use green and blacks 
• 2tbsp honey 
• Shredded coconut to taste 

Blend the nuts, dates, nut butter, honey and cocoa powder together in a blender until it forms a slightly crumbly dough. You can then either stir in the coconut and then make the dough into balls or push into moulds. Alternatively you can make into balls and then roll into coconut to give a decorative outing. 

I tend to store these in the fridge as they stay together better. The mixture also freezes well.  

Slow cooker porridge

We love porridge in our house. The most economical way for us to buy them is by getting rolled oats however these take a while to cook. By doing your porridge in the slow cooker you can make enough to feed everyone in your household for at least a few days depending on the size of your slow cooker.

You will need,

• Rolled oats
• Milk of your choice or water if you prefer 
• Fruit - I used flame raisins and apple
• Optional- flaxseed, seeds, cinnamon, allspice 

I find using double the amount of liquid to oats is the right texture for us once it's cooked. I used 2 and a half cups of oats and 5 cups of almond milk. Place this is your slow cooked and add the fruit. If using fruit such as an apple of pear I would recommend either grating or cutting up finely. Cook on low until everything comes together and serve with honey or maple syrup if needed. 

Many different combinations can be used for this recipe so play around. Claire

Introduction. My first blog post!

My name is Claire and I live in the east of England with my American husband. With today being January 1st I thought it would be a good time to start a blog. I have been thinking about starting one for a while and thought that with it being the new year today it would be a good time to start.

This year I have some New Years resolutions that I am hoping that my documenting our progress on here will encourage us to keep them. Our New Years resolutions are,

• To be a greener family. I would consider our family to be greener that some but there is defiantly room for improvement. I will be writing blogs on things such as reusable cotton pads, mama cloth and other Eco friendly household items that we decide to introduce. 

• To eat healthier. I would say that 80% of the time we eat fairly healthily but I am wanting to improve this. We have decided to take the 100 days of real food mini pledges that are starting this Monday (http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2014/12/22/cut-processed-food-14-weeks/) I am hoping this year we can make some good eating habits that stick with us. 

• To spend more time outdoors. The first year that we were dating my husband and I did a lot of day trips out and this year I'm hoping that we will visit some new places. We will be getting a puppy in just over a week so I'm hoping that this year we have spend more time outdoors. With my husbands family not being close by I am hoping that by writing about our travels that are family will be able to see what we are up too. 

I'm looking forward to sharing all this with you. 

Claire