Sorry For The Hiatus!!

I’ve actually been quite busy over the last ((..checks how long it’s been..)) WOAH :O the last month and a half!!

Sorry about that!! No posts, though no new views, either, come to look at it..

Ohh well, thousands of views is not really why I write, anyways 🙂 it’s a hobby ..that I don’t always have the time to do..

Over the last 6 weeks I had my hours boosted up even more for a little while whilst it was busy over the school holidays, but now they’re over, my hours have been cut riiiight down to a minimum of 6 a week 😦 . As well as that, I’ve had to take a week off, after having over-done it with cycling, squats and climbing in-and-out of my Dad’s lorry last week, ohh, and completing an “Treetop Challenge” at Howlett’s Wild Animal Park..

On the zip-wire at the end of the challenge 🙂

Howlett’s Animal Park is working with the Aspinall Foundation – a charity that works to protect endangered species, they do conservation work and have a breeding program. All percentage of the ticket sales go towards supporting the Aspinall Foundation, so every time you visit you are helping the animals 🙂 .

My Mum and Stepdad took me to the park as a late birthday present. I had my 20th birthday on the 14th August – not a teen anymore!! When we went to the park, I took fruit for my lunch and snacks, and they included a whole half of a watermelon!! I ate around the corner from the main tables, just so that I didn’t have to explain to people why I was eating so much ((which is silly, I know. Could have done this)), but I did get to give the melon rind to a park worker, who smiled and said that he’d give it to the honey badger 🙂 . I got to share my lunch with a honey badger 😀 !!

Here are some pics from the day..

 

As well as that, I have been trying to keep up with my squats, planning on going swimming again soon and really want to be on my bike more!! Next week I plan to be at Pat’s house, from Monday – Saturday-ish, so I’ll be cycling to-and-from work, and hopefully my boss will give me extra hours because I couldn’t work this week!! That’s an extra 8-ish miles a day on my work days, as Pat lives a bit further.

I’ve been eating loads of carbs 😀 !! For example..

Fruits of course – plus a few yummy avocados lately in my salads and sauces for my pasta. Ignore Pat’s Cherry Bakewell and lollipop underneath 😉 they shouldn’t be in my fruit bowl!!

A corn pasta meal with a gorgeously thick green sauce overtop that I made. I’ll start posting some high-carb cooked meal ideas on the blog soon, for anyone that is interested. I had this over a bag of pre-mixed salad leaves. Yum 🙂

I got this MASSIVE watermelon from a Morrissons supermarket. It costed almost £7 but it was soooo worth it!! Some of the best watermelon I have ever tasted. I need to get one of these again before the season ends completely!!

This was actually my dinner 2 nights ago 🙂 it consisted of brown rice, butternut squash and a sauce made with the squash, some low-sodium bouillon and a handful of dill. It was so good and really satisfying 🙂 I love carbs!!

I aim to eat as much raw produce as possible, but when I can’t get enough for any reason, or if what I have at home is not yet ripe, I’ll have a high-carb, low-protein and low-fat cooked meal in the evening, or for lunch as well as dinner, if I need to. I’ll make this up from either corn pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, brown rice or quinoa and have it with whatever veggies I have on-hand, including greens whenever I can. I feel really great doing this and am the healthiest I have ever been 🙂 . If you are interested on the benefits of eating high-carb and low-fat and protein, check out Cathy’s blog here, and maybe check out books The China Study, The Starch Solution and The 80/10/10 Diet.

Well, I’m off now to go shopping with my Dad. Off to buy more fruits, veggies and plan for next week 🙂 .

See you then!! X

 

Finally Caught A Break!!

Woohoo!!

I finally feel like I’ve just caught a break in my life 🙂

After loads of waiting, sitting around, not knowing WHAT to do with myself for months and months, I have a job. An alright job. That may turn more permanent, depending on how I do!!

I had 3 days of work at the Kent County Show, selling Strawberries & Cream, fruit salads, other fruit, smoothies, OJ and water. It was great!! So much fun and I honestly wish that I could do it full-time!! But alas, it was only the 3 days of the show. Hopefully the guy running the fruit stalls will call me again the next time he’s in the area, because I loved doing it and all the team were really friendly and great 🙂 . But ahh well, for now I have other things to focus on..

..Like making a new StitchUp for a friend of my Mum’s:

Like my new job!! So, what am I doing?? Well, I’m working at a tiny café at a country park, just a couple of miles from my home. I’m just selling ice creams, cold food and hot and cold drinks, as well as serving and cleaning up, so it could just be a summer thing, as they are much busier and need help in the summer. But hopefully it will turn into more than that. They have already increased my hours to 32 a week, from 20!! Though I don’t agree with what they sell ((me being vegan, and it being a traditional café)), it is a job, a job at last. Something that I have been waiting for ((again..)) for far too long. I no longer need to go crazy 😉 woohoo!!

I’ve been fuelling up on fruit – lots of it!! Loading up on carbs and as many summer fruits as we can afford!! I’ve been riding to and from work most days ((I started last Monday)), but not been cycling much more than that, so only about 5 miles a day right now, mainly due to the intense heat!!

Since I have been cycling more this year generally, I have felt happier and more alive and energetic. One problem though – I got low iron from increasing my activity so much  – I went to give blood last month and they told me that my iron was too low to give. Iron deficiency is the most common amongst mineral deficiencies, and, depending on absorption, shouldn’t be too hard to remedy. So what have I been doing to up my levels??

EATING WATERMELON!! Yup, half of a large watermelon ((a favourite breakfast for me)) is 30% of my iron requirements in one day 🙂 who knew!!??

..hence why there are currently 5 in my bedroom!! Ohh, that and the fact that it’s watermelon season and I LOVE WATERMELON!!!!

So should have no problem with bumping up my iron again..

This was in September last year – around the time that I found the high-carb lifestyle. It’s not a big melon at all, really!!

Unfortunately, I’ve been lacking in the photography department ((apart from of fruit, of course 😉 )), as I’ve been more busy and it’s slipped my mind. Hopefully tomorrow ((my day off)) and over the summer I’ll snap some photos of outside, animals, people and this weather!! For now, this is the most recent photo I have, really:

Oops, that’s another fruit pic – my current haul, actually 😛 . Well, here are a couple of snaps from Cornwall last year, as this weather is reminding me of that holiday right now….

Maybe I’ll get around to making that WIAW post soon…. 🙂

Enjoy the rest of your summer!!

 

My OTHER Blog, Lots of Fruit, Jobs and 30BAD

Hey there 🙂

A lot has happened since my last post ((ohh no, she’s said that before and it was depressing..)), in lots of good ways ((woohoo!!))!!

It’s the middle of the summer here in the UK and in Kent we have had some really great weather. OK, apparently we’ve got a heat wave over here, but that’s so different to our usual kind of weather ((rain, sun, rain, sleet, sun, snow, rain.. – sometimes in the same day 😛 )) that people have been really enjoying it, going out to beaches and having BBQs and garden parties, running and cycling more, playing with kids outside, it’s really great to see 🙂

Also of course, it means it’s time for ICE CREAM!! Or “Nice Cream” in my case 😉 , this one being a vanilla and “chocolate” ice cream sundae that I had for dinner ..on a Sunday 😛

So, what else have I been up to?? Well, last week on Wednesday, I got a call-back for a 3-day job, helping to sell strawberries & cream and other fruits at the Kent County Show. I got it 🙂 and then the next day I got another call from Cobtree Park Café, a tiny little outside café in a country park, only about 2 miles from me!! So I went there for an informal interview and was told the hours – only 15:00 – 18:00, but it’s certainly better than nothing!! I’m just selling drinks and ice creams, crisps, chocolates and cakes, so it’s probably only going to be a summer job, but I finally feel like I’ve caught a break, and that’s something 🙂 .

So, I started at the County Show on Friday at 08:00 and worked with a guy called Morris, or Mo, for short. We got on well and he was nice and got on with everyone else. In fact, he kept giving me bits of fruit to try, as we were prepping all day continuously, and on Saturday I came away with a cup full of watermelon and grapes, an overflowing pint of cherries and over a pot of strawberries!! Thanks, Mo!! It was really warm over the 3 days, and we were right in the corner, at the entrance to the food tent, so it got very hot and tiring after a while – especially on Saturday. I also helped out a girl called Lea and another guy called Jazz, making fruit smoothies and selling different fruits. By the end of each day I had bright red hands and very sticky clothes 😛 but it was all great fun and I wish that I could do it full-time!!

I started work at Cobtree yesterday ((Monday)) and found it very slow-paced compared to the show, but it’s not too bad. I don’t go in until 15:00 so that should mean that I have a lot of time to do things in the morning, but today I have been very unproductive.. I haven’t even done my squats, yet!!

As you may have read, I have a new blog, that I started up in April, called Simply LFRV ((Low-Fat, Raw Vegan)). I created it in hope that I could assist people who are interested in the lifestyle, inspiring them with recipes, my favourite LFRV and LFV, tips, fruit info and advice.. I’ll be posting another recipe on there tomorrow, a summery berry treat. You heard it here first 😉 . Here’s a link to my new site: SimplyLFRV..

To find out why I eat so much fruit and veg, and also, why I’m vegan, check out these links:

DurianRider

Freelea

If you’re interested in the low-fat vegan or low-fat raw vgan way of eating, and the whole lifestyle, check out 30BananasADay! ((30Bad!))

Hoping that this weather stays for a while. I’ve really been enjoying getting out there on my bike, seeing how many miles I can get in on TribeSports, of course selling ((and eating copious amounts of..)) fruit in the sunshine, going for long walks with Pat and sun-bathing in his back garden 😛 .

Right, that’s all I’ve got time to write today, as I need to get to work ((feels good to say that!!)) 🙂 have a lovely day!!

🙂 Jade 🙂