Who am I

I’m a girl. I live in England. Though I may not be your average English girl.  I’m riddled with ambition… determination… passion… excitement… adventure… curiosity…. big dreams… self-doubt…impatience… a busy mind… and most of all a lot to prove!

 

A lot has changed for me over the past year, I guess you could say a re-direction in how I perceive my life. Healthy living and a sense of wellbeing had always been important to me but I’d never really appreciated what that meant. It is all too easy to ‘fool’ yourself into thinking you are doing the right thing by opting for the wholemeal bread (but then proceeding to fill it with bacon and cheese). I needed to look deeper. Beneath the happy smile, my life felt superficial and I began to feel a growing sense of un-fulfilment with the 9-5 routine and the thought of ‘settling’ before I’d found out who I really had the capacity to become.

Time was getting on. There had to be more. This was my turning point.

Much of this was triggered by a boy who entered my life at this crossroad. To all intents and purposes he turned my perception of life on its head. I became (mostly) vegan for nutritional reasons and have (almost) quit the 9-5. At times I may cry with frustration at going against the grain and yes it can feel lonely and I sometimes wish I could simply be ‘happy’ to be the me I was before. I know that will never be the case again and nor would I want it to be. Ultimately, wherever my life leads I will have a lot to thank him for.

With a great sense of curiosity I began this blog in August 2011 as a platform and outlet for my new found perception, it has evolved into so much more than I could ever have imagined. 

 

I have begun to change in so many ways, and will continue to do so through questioning and not simply allowing myself to settle into the ‘bliss’ of naivety and ignorance. I have tackled my inner frustrations instead of pushing them to the back of my mind. I was in the fortunate position to be presented with the vegan lifestyle, which then overwhelmed and encompassed me in such an enlightened way that I could not conceive of anything other.  I have learnt to take a step back to think through things, appreciating that less is often more and begun to believe that I am already good enough. I am not perfect, I fall of the waggon but then pick myself back up and carry on.

I am constantly inspired by the physical world around me through which I capture moments and create experiences that bring happiness and satisfaction to my life.

I look forward to you joining me on my journey.

So, why Including Cake?

I constantly strive to achieve balance and wellbeing  in all areas of my life.  It’s a challenge and that’s just what makes me tick.

We all want to achieve happiness- right? However I’m not so sure happiness on its own is really our ultimate goal. Happiness is most definitely critical to our daily wellbeing, but it is also very fickle and transient. You can be a very ‘happy’ person but at the same time feel a sense of deep down un-fulfilment.  This was me before I realised where I had been going wrong….. no matter how many happy times I had, how much I laughed or how may fun times I spent with others, at moments of quiet and reflection I felt unfulfilled and unsatisfied deep down.  This needed to change and the balance needed to be re-addressed. 

The optimal balance, for me, is to enable as much happiness and as much satisfaction as possible- the higher the level of both, the greater our overall sense of wellbeing.

This blog is not just about food, but….

Food is critical to our survival- fact! We cannot live without it, and it cannot be ignored. However very few would argue that nutrition should be considered in purely scientific terms. We want to enjoy what we eat and not feel as though we are depriving ourselves, however often what we ‘enjoy’ goes against what our bodies most needs to be ‘healthy’.  A conflict of interests.

‘Naughty V Healthy’ what if you could have both??

I have spent a long time exploring how ‘naughty’ foods could be made ‘healthy’- i.e offer much of the nutritional benefits (well, as far as possible) but still taste luxurious and make us ‘happy’ and most importantly not feel as though we are making a compromise. Cakes and biscuits are the ultimate bad boy- so moreish and easy to sneak out of the biscuit tin, but after that moment of pleasure usually comes the aftertaste of guilt (well maybe not after one but definitely after two or three…).  I strive to make cakes that use lots of wholesome ingredients and eliminate refined sugar  BUT still taste naughty….  the ultimate treat… happy and satisfied! 

In striving to reach this goal, the food I cook is also entirely vegan (I believe this to be the optimum nutritional standpoint), therefore also dairy free and egg free, it is also sugar free (in terms of refined sugars), therefore largely diabetic friendly, and usually wheat free (I generally either cook with spelt flour or gluten free). My recipes aim to include everyone. 

So, now I think you can have it all… including cake!