Week 1 Lockdown

Well done! You got through the first week of lockdown. I hope you are doing OK, and keeping happy, healthy and positive. I had a good week last week and I am adjusting well to lockdown life. I wanted to share with you some things I've found have helped keep me positive and busy (hopefully without sounding too much like a wannabe "influencer"!). 

• Cooking- this is a great opportunity to try out new recipes. I love cooking (and eating!) and mealtimes for me are a good chance to sit down and stop, and catch up with my husband. I've included some recipes at the bottom of this  post of recipes I enjoyed last week. 
• Online courses- I've managed to find some really good online seminars and reflexology podcasts to keep me learning. Last week I was focusing on the links between Traditional Chinese Medicine and reflexology, which is such a broad subject with so much to learn about. 
• Exercise- I've been loving all the Instagram live workouts. Last week Heartcore did a great pilates workout on Wednesday at 10.30am, Digme did a good barre class at 10.30am on Friday, and they both have lots of good yoga classes too. 
• Routine- getting out of bed when the alarm goes off, not sitting at the computer all day and getting up to have a walk around (even if it's just some sprints up and down the stairs), having set meal times and sticking to a good evening wind down routine. If like me you are at a bit of a loose end, then I find making a to do list each evening for the next day is really useful. Sometimes when you have no sense of urgency on jobs they can just be added to a long list which you never really get through, so giving yourself a tick off list can make it really satisfying when you've completed all the jobs you've set yourself. Be realistic though!
• Games- We've been playing Dobble each evening before dinner and it's getting very competitive.
• Jasmine Hemsley's sound bath- this is an amazing meditation session with singing bowls that Jasmine Hemsley does live on Instagram on Saturdays. She's recorded them and put them on her Instagram page so if you miss it, you can still watch it. It's a great thing to drift off to sleep to and I listen to it after my bath on Sundays. 
• Staying in touch with friends and family- I'm pretty sure I've been more sociable during lockdown than ever! We are so lucky to live in an age where we can talk to and see our friends and family on Facetime/Skype/Zoom or Houseparty. We've been having regular group calls with family and even did a "pub" quiz on Saturday with a group of friends. It's important to check in on your friends and family during this time where you can feel quite lonely. 

My monthly challenge for April is going to be quite easy under these circumstances...it's "no new clothes", so hopefully I don't get the urge to have a huge online shopping trip! I was finding March's challenge of "no single use plastic" OK up until a couple of weeks ago. When the supermarket shelves started to be stripped bare of all their fresh produce, I had to start trying alternative shops where sometimes the plastic packaging is unavoidable, and when the last available broccoli was wrapped in cling film, I had to just suck it up and give in. I did notice last week M&S are getting better at reducing their plastic packaging, which is good because I think they are one of the worst for it. The challenge made me a lot more aware of how much packaging is used unnecessarily, and it even changed my habits a bit. 

Let me know if you are struggling with anything and I can send you self help videos of reflexology points you can work on your hands or feet. Look forward to seeing you when I'm back treating again. 

Take care and stay well,

Georgie x

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​Cauliflower with pomegranate, green olives & chickpea puree:
Serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side dish

Florets from 1 large cauliflower, leaves kept to the side
1tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
30g toasted walnuts
115g green pitted olives, chopped
chopped coriander leaves
juice of 1/2-1 lemon
1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
seeds from 1/2 pomegranate
For the chickpea puree:
400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 crushed garlic clove 
1 1/2 tbsp tahini
1tsp ground cumin
1 heaped tsp cayenne pepper
150ml extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Roast the cauliflower with olive oil, cumin, cayenne and seasoning for 25 minutes and add the leaves to the pan for the last 10-15 minutes until golden. To make the puree blend all ingredients in a food processor. Season and add enough water to get the texture you want. When the cauliflower is cooked add the walnuts, olives, coriander and lemon juice. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and scatter with pomegranate seeds. Serve with the puree. 

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