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Coconut & raspberry pudding – dairy free & vegan friendly

coconut & raspberry pudding

Great as a dessert, even better as breakfast, my simple coconut & raspberry pudding, which is dairy free and vegan friendly.

You will need;

  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon agar agar
  • 2 cups raspberries
  • 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon desiccated coconut

Check out my YouTube video, on how to make this simple pudding. You can make it in advance and it will keep well covered in the fridge for a few days.

I am inspired by all the fresh produce at my local market in Tavira. Today I picked up a large punnet of fresh raspberries and couldn’t wait to get home to make this delicious dessert. I divided the mix into three, 2 desserts for today, and 1 breakfast is ready for me tomorrow. I will add a little bit of home made granola to create a delicious and filling plant based breakfast.

Let me know if you try this recipe. I don’t add extra sugar to the milk mixture, but you may like to add a teaspoon of sugar if you have a sweet tooth.

It’s very hot here today, too hot for cooking, but this simple dish is perfect chilled to enjoy under the shade of a carob tree. The dogs are shuffling around the kitchen to keep cool, so it’s Ginger and Bird my Hungarian Vizsla you may be able to hear in the background.

I don’t use exact measurements, use a tea cup if you don’t have a proper cup measurement – its the same thing!

Thanks for stopping by, have a beautiful day!

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Asian style breakfast. Italian style lunch. What I eat in a day.

asian style breakfast, Italian style lunch

Asian style breakfast? Italian style lunch? yes please! Here’s what I eat in a day. Lots of you enjoyed seeing what I eat in a day. I really prefer savoury food rather than sweet. Today I made some crispy tofu with Thai rice, veggies and sauce for breakfast and an Italian inspired pasta and bean dish with lots of fresh tomatoes.

Thank you for the lovely feedback on my videos. I like to keep trying different styles, so today there’s no talking, just the sounds of my small kitchen, in my cottage, in the middle of an orange grove in Algarve, Portugal. Listen out for Mr Blackbird singing along outside my window.

Asian style breakfast.

Breakfast was; Steamed Thai rice, crispy tofu (see my previous recipe for KCF style tofu) cucumber, raw carrot, fried spring onions/scallions, sesame seeds, fresh chopped coriander and a sauce made with;1 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar, 1 or 2 teaspoons of maple syrup.

asian style breakfast, Italian style lunch
asian style breakfast, Italian style lunch

Italian style lunch.

For lunch I fried red onion and garlic, added 4 large chopped red tomatoes and simmered until tender, and liquid reduced. I added 1 tablespoon oregano, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon Moscatel (it’s a sweet wine). I added 1 cup large butter beans and 1 cup small pasta. Cook until pasta is al dente. In a separate pan fry mushrooms with crushed whole garlic as much as you like) and vegan butter. I am using Veganbloc. When cooked, remove the mushrooms and use the leftover butter and garlic to wilt the spinach in the hot pan.

Drizzle over pesto (I’m using homemade vegan – without cheese) and sprinkle over sunflower seeds and a few fresh herbs. Serve with baked sliced bread.

Let me know what you think about this style of video. It’s good for when I don’t want to be on camera and can really enjoy cooking rather than talking. I lost 32lbs eating this way. I eat between 8am and 2pm, then fast until 8am the next day. It really suits my body and lifestyle.

Thanks for stopping by, have a beautiful day.

#intermittentfasting #menopauseweightloss #menopausehealth #plantbased #healthyaging

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Nutella made the vegan way

nutella

My home made dairy free, gluten free, vegan friendly version of Nutella couldn’t be easier! You will be shocked how much sugar is contained in the store bought original Nutella and similar products. I will show you how much sugar the store bought contains, versus my simple home made version using a high grade dark chocolate.

Join me in my tiny kitchen, in a little rented cottage in the middle of an orange grove, close to Tavira, Algarve, Portugal. I really enjoy making all my food from scratch, based on what I find at the market each day. Sometimes I fancy something sweet, rich and chocolatey. This spread is great to use in baking to make vegan delicious French Pain au chocolate. Or straight out of the jar, by the spoonful!

Here’s my simple vegan nutella recipe:

  • 410g hazelnuts (3 cups)
  • 100g dark chocolate (half to 3 quarters of a cup)
  • 1 pinch of sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Bake the hazelnuts in the air fryer (highest setting) for 3-4 minutes. They burn very quickly so be careful. You could toast them in a fry frying pan instead. Melt the chocolate and add the salt and vanilla extract. Add all the ingredients to the blender and run at full power until smooth. Pour into a container and allow to set.

Enjoy! Let me know if you like this vegan Nutella recipe, I’m happy to answer any questions.

Thanks for stopping by, have a beautiful day. #veganeats #vegannutella #dairyfree #wholefood #plantbased

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Burrito with a twist – what I eat in a day.

burrito

Burrito with a twist!

This is my burrito with a twist. I am a huge fan of Lizzo on TikTok, and I’m always jealous when she orders in Mexican or TexMex food. We have avocados growing all around us here, but it’s still Russian roulette whether the avocado will go straight in the bin, or be perfect to mash.

Bonus trip to the market.

I thought I’d add a quick trip in to the market, and show you what I bought. I love to see what other people buy at the market. I guess I am just nosey, but it’s wonderful to see what’s in season all around the world. I go to the market almost every day to see what’s on offer. Cherries and figs are incredible at the moment, I will be stuffing my face with fruit for the next few months whilst prices are low and stocks are high.

I like to play around with flavours, using what I have on hand rather than sticking to a recipe. You won’t find any authentic recipes on my page, everything is off the cuff, based on my knowledge of flavours. I used a small corn tortilla today for my burrito, I am sure you will think it’s tiny compared to a store bought one in the USA, but I prefer to have two small ones, rather than one big one. My husband is quite a fussy eater, so I have to work around him. I didn’t add onion in the salsa as that’s a big no-no for him.

What I eat in a day – series.

I’m attempting to film as many meals as I can throughout this month, as I’m asked daily what I eat as a 100% plant based 55 year old vegan, intermittent fasting for weight maintenance. I used tempeh today, you could use vegan fake meats but I prefer tempeh seasoned with smoked paprika, cinnamon, thyme, garlic, and a little brown sugar for sweetness – similar to bacon seasoning.

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What I eat in a day 100% plant based vegan food.

What do I eat in a day, with no dairy, meat, eggs or fish?

Lots of women ask me what I eat in a day 100% plant based vegan food. I’m including everything I eat and drink except water, tea and coffee. I really enjoy watching videos like this, and it’s fascinating to see what people eat, and how much – portion size varies so much!

I buy all my produce from the local farmer’s market and tofu and tempeh from the health food store. I don’t visit the supermarket very often, because I like supporting small businesses. I avoid all processed fake vegan food as much as possible, additives and preservatives, I don’t use a microwave to avoid any damage to the nutrients in the food. 

Head over to YouTube and please give me a follow!

Essential supplies

My store cupboard is full of herbs, spices, and varied ingredients from all over the world, to make humble veg into something spectacular. I do use a small amount of seed oils, which I agree are not a healthy choice, however, it’s a compromise I am willing to make to ensure I eat lots of lovely plants rich in fibre. 

I am always shocked how much ready made food people eat in their ‘what I eat in a day’ videos on YouTube, as I like to make all my food from scratch. 

Intermittent fasting changed my life. Two meals per day keeps my weight stable and provides me with enough energy to complete a strenuous workout, plus another activity later in the day such as paddle boarding or mountain biking.

Please support my page.

Give me a follow, or a share as I really need some support to keep posting. I love creating meals from fresh fruit and veggies and I want to share my passion of eating good, fresh, wholesome food. I will attempt to film at least 5 days per week for this month. If there’s enough interest I will keep going!

I am 55, soon to be 56 and I’ve never felt better. I will film some of my workouts too, so you can see how I build muscle and keep in shape.

Thanks for stopping by, have a beautiful day!

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My top 10 sources of plant based protein

This is my list of personal top 10 sources of plant based protein. Things I keep in the store cupboard to ensure I always have a natural and wholesome source of protein with every meal.

Where do I get my protein?

I don’t eat anything from animals, so where do I get my protein? If I had a dollar for every time I was asked this question I’d be a millionaire! I’m going to post more info about plant based macros in the future as many people don’t seem to appreciate how much protein can be found in nuts, beans, seeds, veggies and even fruit. Enough to fuel a gorilla, elephant, rhino… you get the idea.

Plant fibre is incredibly important to our gut microbiome. It’s been removed from processed foods, so it’s vital to eat lots of natural, unprocessed plant matter to keep all the bacteria in the belly happy. I grabbed a few things out of my pantry and will be sharing more nutrition content with you over the coming weeks.

This is where I get my protein and of course, lots of fibre. Have a beautiful day!

Follow me on social media

Follow me on Instagram by clicking here or Facebook by clicking here.

#veggie #veganfood #plantbased #wholefood #slowfood #menopausehealth

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Ice spiced pumpkin latte and scones

I needed a spiced pumpkin latte today, and the only way I was going to get one, is if I made it myself! There’s an abundance of pumpkins at the local market, so today I thought I’d make some pumpkin purée to freeze in ice cube trays, for when I fancy a spiced pumpkin milkshake or latte.

I roasted half of a small pumpkin in the airfryer for 20 minutes on 170°C. I then covered it and let it cool, so I could easily remove the skin.

In a blender I added the skinned pumpkin, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, pinch of sea salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Off camera (pressed the wrong button with my sticky fingers) I added a tablespoon of peanut butter, quarter cup of plant milk and quarter cup of Veganbloc butter.

*You may wish to add more syrup. I don’t like mine too sweet.

For the scones I used;

  • 1 cup self raising flour
  • Quarter cup of Veganbloc butter
  • Half teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
  • Half teaspoon baking powder
  • Enough plant milk to make into soft dough.

Baked in airfryer for 13 minutes on 170°C turned them over for another 3 minutes.

Lots of noise going on in the background with the washing machine and airfryer whirring away next to me. I only have a tiny kitchen in this rental property. I look forward to having a proper kitchen again one day.

I hope you like this recipe – I’m so happy to have a supply of spiced pumpkin purée on standby.

Gail x

#pumpkinseason#pumpkinspice#pumpkinspice#wholefoodplantbased#veganeats#wholefoods#veggie#vegan#homecooking#homecooked#fastingfood#IntermittentFasting#midlifemakeover#menopausehealth#loseweightforgood#menopauseweightloss#loseweightfeelgreat#womenover50#healthyageing#veganrecipes

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Gnocchi (Italian potato dumplings) with walnut sauce

For lunch today, I made gnocchi with walnut sauce. I’m starting over with my food blog as I’ve been inundated with requests for recipes and meal ideas. I’ve been working on ways to encourage everyone to eat more plants and to consider trying intermittent fasting.

I post on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube in an effort to spread the word about the benefits of eating only plants.

My short videos will be linked to YouTube as it’s the best website friendly format for my blog, but you will also find my videos on the usual social media channels.

I’m playing around with video formats… what do you think of this style for vegan meal inspiration? I’ve used birdsong as a background sound, (rather than music) which I captured on one of my early morning walks in spring. I find it very calming.

For lunch today, I made gnocchi with walnut sauce. Tip: Use equal amounts flour to potato (doesn’t have to be exact).

Gnocchi:
2 potatoes boiled in their skins
(Remove skins after cooking)
2 cups wheat flour
Salt, black and white pepper.

Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 cup walnuts
Fresh lemon thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 veggie stock cube
Half cup of soya cream
Black and white pepper.

I didn’t add extra salt in the sauce as I used a vegetable stock cube (which contains salt).
I hope this inspires you to eat more veggies. This made enough to feed 4 – 5 people. Potatoes cost €1, soya cream 80cents, walnuts €1.50 I served with leeks sautéed in veganbloc, and a salad of sliced cherry tomatoes, pinch of sea salt, chopped parsley & mint plus a drizzle of olive oil.

Stay tuned for more detailed posts in the furture, I’m desperately trying to find a way of streamlining my content as it takes up lots of my time, and it’s only me doing everything.

I hope you enjoy my video. We both scored this meal 10/10.

Gail x

VeganFood #plantbased #plantbaseddiet #dairyfree #menopauseweightloss #wholefoodnutrition #fooddiary #whatiatetoday #veganmeals #healthylifestyle #eatyourveggies #eatyourgreens #weightlossjourney #weightlossfood #eatwell #veganeats #microbiome #microbiomehealth

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The insane benefits of fasting and food you need to stop eating.

I watched this on YouTube last night, the insane benefits of fasting & foods you need to stop eating. It’s quite long at 1hr 47minutes but I guarantee it’s a good use of your time.

Watch the video to the end, or listen to it as it’s just doctors chatting, no graphics or anything visual to miss. It’s also available as a podcast.

Check out my JUMP30 challenge by clicking here.

Testing out those insane benefits of fasting for myself.

Today is my first 24 hour fast. Since last November I have decreased my food intake substantially. Switching from three meals per day to two. I lost 14lbs and now my weight has plateaued at 10stone 4lbs – 144lbs and I know I have more blubber to shed. It’s time to take the next step and only eat once per day. It’s not forever, only until I get as lean as I’d like to be. I’m eating one meal per day at least five days per week for one month to check out the effects on my body.

Never stop trying!

I sleep seven hours per night, I drink lots of water, I eat plant based whole food and I try to control my stress levels. Last year was tough for me, watching what was being reported on the news, but seeing a totally different view via livestreaming on other platforms. I couldn’t understand what the hell was going on. I had to step away from all social media to find a peaceful place and my true self again.

I like motivating other women to enjoy ageing, and sharing videos and information that I find helpful.

I will post more about fasting soon so stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by…have a beautiful day.

Gail x

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Just lucky?

I guess I’m just lucky…..? I get a lot of comments and direct messages telling me how lucky I am that I am not overweight. The truth is I have been in battle with my weight my whole life. I have found the correct balance of calories in, exercise and levels of meds for my underactive thyroid, to finally be within an ideal weight range and feel good.

@fiftysister

I’m lucky. #ageing #aging #matureskin #midlifewomen #wrinkles #older #olderwomen #aginggracefully #over50 #50plus #silverhair #makeuptransformation

♬ original sound – FiftySister

Times have changed

I know that times have changed and to be plus size is to be celebrated. What a difference that would have made, to how I felt about my body growing up…but, how we move and nourish our bodies will show more as we age. It seems everyone accepts that to be old, means to be overweight. Maybe that’s true, but I want to be fit and mobile for as long as possible. Keeping my weight in check and giving my body every vitamin and mineral it needs to continue to flourish is paramount.

Just lucky or good genes?

‘You have good genes’ people say. That’s an interesting comment when they haven’t seen my family members ahead of me in the ageing process. My grandma was overweight but very active. She loved fatty roast lamb, cheese and butter. She lived into her 80’s and was active until she suffered a stroke. My mother is active, always making something or in the garden. She’s carrying some extra weight (sorry Mum!) and I wouldn’t describe her as slim or fit. Nobody in my family, except one cousin exercises regularly. He’s 56 and still completes in Iron Man challenges. I guess he’s lucky too 😉

Sugar Daddy

My husband is slim, but is addicted to sugar. I bore myself nagging him most days to stop eating white flour foods, laden with fat and sugar. I stop for a few days, as I am sick of my own voice, but I care enough about him to continue nagging him.

Hypoparathyroidism

I have an underactive thyroid, and even though I tried starving myself to keep my weight down, it made zero impact on the scales. I know that other meds such as steroids have an effect on our energy and size. Ensure you eat natural unprocessed foods like fruit, veg, nuts, seeds and beans, keep your health in check and seek medical advice if you are lacking energy or gaining weight without reason.

Be fat, be thin, be lazy, be fit, it’s our choice, but I don’t think genetics has much to do with it. What we eat and how much we move is what determines how ‘lucky’ we are. I have used myfitnesspal a lot to keep a check on my weight and to detemine how many calories and the amount of exercise I need to maintain my weight. It’s a very useful free tool.

To get in touch click here. Thanks for stopping by, have a beautiful day.

Gail x