This is what I am liking this week.
​
 1. I liked this brave advice for  being more efficient and getting things done especially the idea of deleting all your emails! A brave step indeed.

 2. Sonima is my latest go to yoga website - give a video class a go - and such a selection even for inflexible me.

 3. 13 days until I am back at  The Thornham Deli - my favourite deli - the vegetarian breakfast is one of the best that I have ever tasted.


​4. I am liking this Instagramer - my new roots - easy vegan recipes.

5.  My monthly accupuncture sessions have contributed to my well being - my accupuncturist has updated his web site.

6. Liking this quote - we all have this choice every day.

7. Went to a book launch at The Redfern Gallery  - I have never had the courage to go inside a Mayfair art gallery. This was it.

8. I got to meet the amazing Rebecca Thornton who has written "The Exclusives" that was launched this week at The Redfern Gallery.

9.  Watch this  How To Stay Young-Episode 1. An investigation on how much of the way we age is down to genetics and how much of it is down to the way we live our lives. 

10. Another bowl recipe - this was simple and delicious.

Have a great weekend and hope you enjoy this week's links.

   It's only a first impression

I read a lot of  blogs, websites and articles on the internet.  I had an idea that I would share 10  things I’ve seen that has made an impression on me this week. I'm hoping that this will be a regular feature.

1. "How to know if you're happy or just settling in" - a Lifehack article - which sure hit a note with me as there have been times when I have coasted through life until I realise that I was settlng and needed to make a change.

2. How to throw a dinner party in an hour - as long as you have some food in the cupboard and fridge and some friends!

3. Dreaming of Palm Springs. Can't wait for my next visit.

4. I 'm making these herby avocado and egg sandwiches this weekend.

5. I am enjoying the comedy of "words people say" in Alison Hitchcock's blog. I am the friend that she  gave herself the challenge of writing a letter a week to with the sole purpose of cheering him up, when I was diagnosed with cancer. Those letters really cheered me up. And I am the lucky recipient of over 100 letters from Alison. One day they will be in print for all to share.

6. The Medicinal Chef (Dale Pinnock)'s delicious Butternut Lentil and White Bean Winter Warmer for a chilly March supper.

7. Liking this Instagram account and he's local to me - https://www.instagram.com/seanchap/

8. Bowls seem to be the new plates - it's a trend that is catching on.

9.Looking for some inspirational quotes - then try this - this is particularly apt for me this week

10. Liking the amazing photography of Jon Clifton. Might have to save up for one of his canvases.

Hope you enjoy exploring some of these links...... let me know what you think by way of comments.

 

​Yes it's Easter, but it's still cold. When the wind drops, the sun is warm on your face, but that chill in the wind reminds you that it is still March.

I am still in need of wintery food to keep me warm. The delicious salads I had in Palm Springs and planned to share with you, will have to wait a while.

I had some parsnips hanging about which needed eating. I had made some parsnip soup in the past, so decided I would experiment with some ingredients that I had in the fridge. A red chilli, some coconut milk (left over from a Thai curry) and an onion.

The result was a Thai inspired parsnip soup. I was quite surprised that the parsnip was so versatile that it could transform from a crusty old root vegetable into a flavoursome spicy asian soup.

So here's the recipe:

• knob coconut oil
• 1 large onion , peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic , peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger , peeled and roughly chopped ( or use a teaspoon of ground ginger)
• 4 parsnips , peeled and chopped into chunks
• 200 ml coconut milk
• 200ml  organic vegetable stock
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 fresh red chilli , deseeded and finely sliced
• salt and pepper

Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and the red chilli. Gently fry for around 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and sweet.

Drop in the chopped parsnip and stir together so that everything gets coated in the oil and flavours. Pour in the stock, season well and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes with a lid on. 

After half an hour, check that the parsnips are cooked by sticking a knife in. If you’re happy, remove them from the heat and carefully blend in the liquidiser. Return to the saucepan ,taste the soup to see if it needs a little more salt or pepper and stir in the coconut milk and reheat and serve with a sprinkling of diced chilli. If I had some coriander, then a sprinkling on the top would have been a good idea.

Who knew that parsnips are a useful source of vitamins C & E as well as folate. I had to look up what folate was! Here's the definition.

Folate is a water-soluble vitamin B-9 (it dissolves in water), which means your body is unable to store it for long periods of time. Your body's store of folate is usually enough to last four months. This means you need folate in your daily diet to ensure your body has sufficient stores of the vitamin. Folate aids the complete development of red blood cells.

It is different than Folic acid  which is a synthetic compound used in dietary supplements and food fortification, whereas folate refers to what is found naturally found in food.

And as Folate is water soluble making a soup is a good idea as it makes sure you get the whole benefit of it in your diet.

While diet and routine are very important to one's well being, sometimes you have to do what feels right for yourself.

Feeing stressed, worried and anxious for over a week, none of my usual routines were working. I couldn't work out why? I suddenly thought on an impulse I needed to be somewhere that would take me out of my day to day life. So I took off for a long weekend in Norfolk. There is something special about this place that nurtures my spirit. It's the fresh air, the long walk on the marches and beaches, the delicious food and a change of scenery. 

North Norfolk has worked it's magic for me again. There is definitely some regeneration that happens  to me when I visit here. I love to walk on the wide empty beaches. The weather has been amazing. I feel so much more positive and stronger than when I arrived on FrIday.

I felt immediately better after my walk on Brancaster beach Friday afternoon. The light was surreal. I had to take a photo. Here it is.

This was the view from my bed that I woke up to on Saturday morning.  It made me want to get up and out there. Which is what I did! 

Sometimes impulsiveness is a great thing and for me this experience has had a more positive effect than staying at home trying to work through it all.

One thing I have noticed since I got back from California, is that the days are suddenly getting longer.  Of course, it's not been sudden at all. In reality, it's about 3 or 4  minutes every day- but that's twenty minutes a week, or an hour every three weeks - and that's when you notice things. It creeps up on us, quietly, but one day you wake up and think, "the sun is up already". Or one afternoon you're leaving work and think... goodness, it's still light.

It's a moment in the year I love​. Strange to think that in four weeks' time it will be Easter, which is when (someone said today) the clocks change. Spring is almost here, even if today felt like winter - cold, wet and windy.

While in Palm Springs my friend Danny introduced me to the blog Two Peas and their Pod. They have some interesting salad recipes including this one.  

I am a big fan of avocados and I am always looking for recipes that include them as a change from smashed avocado on toast. I have to admit that will always be one of my favourite breakfasts or speedy lunches.


This recipe looked really interesting.. It was so easy. We served it as part of a buffet for a party. It could easily be served for lunch or as a side dish.

It claims that it only need 5 minutes to make this healthy salad! It took me a little bit longer

Serves 4

Prep time: 5 minutes +

Total time:  5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 avocados, pitted, and chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (Coriander)
2 tablespoons green onion (Spring onion)
1/3 cup feta cheese
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, combine chickpeas, avocado, cilantro, green onion, feta cheese, and lime juice. Stir until mixed well. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
​
​Voila - it's that easy. Looks impressive and tastes delicious. I thought that adding cherry tomatoes sliced in half would add some colour and some vitamin C.

It's been very busy at work since returning from the Christmas break. Surely it must be time for some rest and relaxation. I decided it was!

A trip to see my friends Danny and Alan, who have bought a condo in Palm Springs, California, seemed like the right thing to do. I arrived on the 11th February. It was very warm and sunny. Was it really February? You could easily forget that it was.

After a couple of days to adjust to the time difference, my brain was no longer foggy and I started sleeping through the night again.

SoCal (Southern California) is a paradise in winter. Blue skies, sunshine, mountains, palm trees, swimming pools and surprisingly healthy food. The snow birds are here in force, all escaping the cold winter of the Canadian and North American winter. It's a popular destination and I can see why. This has to be so healthy for older people than enduring the cold of a northern hemisphere winter. For me  it was a blast of sunshine in the middle of winter  and such a treat. My vitamin D levels are being topped up by all this sunshine!

    It doesn't get bluer than this!

                 It's been ages since I last blogged and I am still alive and healthy. So where have I been?

                                              I went back to work!!! Yes work!!!




1 September last year I went back to working in London. Took a lot of thinking  to go back to that lifestyle. I am working three days a week, two of which are in the office at London Bridge and one at home. Monday and Fridays are my free days. A long weekend every weekend. I am liking this new routine. The life of a part time contractor and not a full time employee is turning out to be very different. It feels very much as though it is on my terms and I am in control. In the past this was not always the case.

After the initial shock of catching a train to work I have settled into a regime that I enjoy. I am up early and in the office by 8.15 a.m. The office is reasonably quiet then and I can get a lot done. This means I get to leave early too. I'm normally home about 5.15 p.m so have a reasonable evening.

Meditation and my Morning Pages routines have kept me grounded and relatively unstressed. More about these in the next few blog posts. Discovering an app called Headspace has really made me focus on my meditation practice. I am finding this so helpful.

The biggest challenge has been re- skilling after a reasonable break from the office. I have worked really hard at this and it seems that I have had no space for creativity. The blog has suffered and was put on the back  burner. BeingBryan was around but not publishing anything.

In the last few weeks I have found that I have rediscovered this creativity and need to write again. Here I am after so long tapping on the keys and actually publishing a post. It's a restart!

I particularly like avocados and try to eat them several times a week. I have been looking into why there are good reasons to like avocados and how else I can enjoy them, apart from sliced in a salad or teamed with a sliced tomato for a healthy lunch. So I thought that I would share with you what I found out.

Why are they good for us?

• They are rich in anti-oxidents, particularly those known as cartenoids. These anti-oxidents help in ridding the body of dangerous free radicals and help in combating eye degradation and disease.
• They are high in fibre
• They contain oleic acid. This is a fat that signals a feeling of fullness to the brain. This means that eating an avocado can help control the size of your food portions and prevent you from over eating.
  
• Lowers LDL(bad cholestrol).
• High in potassium.  They contain more potassium thanfound in a banana.
  
• Helps regulate blood pressure and prevent circulatory diseases.
• Packed with glutathione - a powerful age preserving anti-oxident.
  

Here's one easy recipes with avocados

Baked Egg and Avocado

When I was in California my friend Danny cooked this baked avocado with egg and salsa for breakfast. Delicious. I watched him cook  this and it was very easy.

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados
4 fresh eggs
1 tablespoon chopped chives

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade.
2. Slice the avocados in half, and take out the stone. Scoop out about two tablespoons of flesh from the centre of the avocado, just enough so the egg will fit snugly in the centre.
3. Place the avocados in a small baking dish. Do your best to make sure they fit tightly.
4. Crack an egg into each avocado half. Try your best to crack the yolk in first, then let the egg whites spill in to fill up the rest of the shell.
5. Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the size of your eggs and avocados. Just make sure the egg whites have enough time to set.
6. Remove from oven, then season with pepper, chives, and garnish of your choice.
7. Serve the avocado flesh that you scooped out on the side.
   
8. Enjoy!

I have just returned from a visit to Southern California. I was amazed by how great the food was that I ate on my trip. I have travelled to the USA before and have not been over impressed by the restaurant food. Deep fried, little in the way of fresh vegetables, and generally unhealthy. This time that view was completely shattered. Yes, there were the chain of US restaurants that we all know, but this time I was impressed by the selection of independent restaurants and the quality of the food that they served.

One of my favourite places was Lulu's Californian Bistro. It served some of the most varied and delicious food I have tasted in a while. Take a look at the menus. I was, for once, struck by the choice. They cater for most people's tastes. I was most impressed by the healthy options and the way that they incorporated gluten-free into their menu. They also have a Gluten-Free and a Vegetarian menu.



The first time I went to Lulu's, I had the Chicken Lettuce Wrap, which was chicken in a dark asian soy savoury dressing with chopped water chestnut, mushrooms and green onions, served with whole ice berg lettuce leaves. Light and flavour-some. After sampling this, I had to return, as I wanted to try the Tower of Avocado & Ahi Tuna Tartar.  I was not disappointed. It was like a giant sushi without the rice, amazing!

My other favourite was a vegan restaurant called Native Foods. I took a meat-eating friend there for lunch. He even thought he was eating chicken in his club sandwich. He wasn't, as everything was vegan. The "Native" Chicken, Bacon & Avo Club, which contained crunchy herb-crusted "Native" chicken, tofu bacon, avocado, chipotle sauce, romaine, tomato and carrots, served on multi-grain ciabatta. The "Native" chicken is made of plant based proteins such as wheat, soy & pea.It tasted just like free range chicken. Delicious!

Finally I have to tell you about Fresh which is the best juice bar that I came across on my visit. WIth it's extensive menu of unusual juices and smoothies, it was difficult to choose. I had the "Maca Mama" which consisted of raw maca,  raw organic coconut, coconut water, raw cocao nibs, cinnamon, banana, ice and pink himalyan salt. A strange blend, but oddly delicious.

I can't help but think that here in the UK, outside of London and Brighton, we are a long way from having such different independent restaurants. Our high streets are monopolised by chains as these are the only restaurants that can afford the high rents and business rates on premises. Which is such a shame as it restricts choices about healthy foods. These chains are waking up to the fact that customers want more healthy choices when they eat out - but we are a long way off.