Sunday 20 March 2016



Oh hello spring, you sexy thing! Now, without causing any offence to her neighbouring seasons (summer, winter, I love you too) isn’t spring just the best? It’s the same feeling I get when autumn swings by, I think it’s the essence of change that really draws me in. New beginnings, new growth, more sunshine, more flowers.... All of these really encapsulate what spring is to me.

So, as I’m sat here with a cup of fresh coffee, taking in the scent of my freshly henna’d hair (more about that later), looking out over the garden to see the sunshine just brushing over the trees and the birds perching on the feeding table, I feel good. Like, really good. I feel calm and that’s something I haven’t been for a while it feels.

I believe it’s a combination of a few things:

Eating well. I’ve significantly upped my plant intake and reduced my meat/by-product intake. I’m becoming more aware of what I put in my body, for I want nutrients and energy, not quick-fixes and sluggishness. I still eat meat occasionally and I’m not quite ready to give up my beloved cheese just yet, but I believe that reducing my intake somewhat is better than not doing anything at all.

Cutting out wheat. This has been a big one. Every Friday I’ve been indulging in the infamous ‘Fat Friday’ butty run at work (well, I can hardly help it since I run the whole thing). Every Friday I’ve felt terrible. Really run down, sluggish, tired, and I put it all down to wheat/gluten. As I've mentioned before, wheat is a big, massive no-no where FODMAPs are concerned (N.b. it's the fructans (carbs) in wheat that are the issue, not the gluten (protein)) and I've mostly been abiding by the no-wheat rule... Just those Fridays are the downfall. 

Getting more sleep. As I’ve been out of the house and cat/house sitting, I’ve been spending less time watching the TV and more time either catching up with the world or just having some quiet time cuddling the cat. You can call it whatever you want really, but it’s helped my sleep patterns a lot.

Mindfulness. I’m due to start my meditation/mindfulness classes officially on Tuesday, but I’m spending a lot more time in the here and now, listening to every sound, watching everything, tasting every bite. When you're taking in every little thing that exists around you, it's incredible. You start to appreciate the little things more, the fact that we are alive and (mostly) healthy.

More light. Equinox literally means ‘equal night’ so that means that at this moment in time, daylight and night time hours are thereabouts equal. As we (Northern Hemisphere) tilt closer and closer to the sun, our daylight hours increase. This is good news for me and others who feel the wrath of the long nights over winter...

... And then maybe it's the fact that on Friday I'll be jumping in my car and driving to the wonderful city of Plymouth where I lived for 3 years during my undergraduate degree, catching up with old best friends, reminiscing about old memories and adventures and creating new ones.

Happy days. 

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Tuesday 15 March 2016

It's hard to believe that growing up through school, college, and university I used to skip the most important meal of the day - breakfast. There was no reason for it really... I just wasn't hungry and I'm not the best person in the morning so it made sense to stay in bed as long as possible. Rookie error. No wonder my blood sugars were all over the place and I used to get the shakes....

It was only when I started hitting the gym a few years back (that has since stopped which of course is not at all evident *nervous laugh*) and I knew I needed to fill my body with some kind of nourishment otherwise I'd pass out (and believe me - that nearly happened on several occasions when I attempted fasted cardio.... another rookie error).

Back then it was always wholemeal toast  slathered in my favourite peanut butter (100% peanut - no added sugar or oil for me thank you) or a nourishing and filling breakfast shake made with almond milk, protein powder, banana, and of course some spinach....

Whilst I may still reach for the shake (minus the protein until I start attacking the gym like a gale force 10) my now go-to breakfast meal usually involves some kind of overnight oats, egg muffins, Greek yoghurt with fruit and chia seeds.... you get the picture. Yesterday I decided it was time to rustle up a chia seed pudding, jazz things up a bit. It's paleo, fodmap friendly, vegan, and totally delicious......



You'll need....

• 200ml of your favourite milk (I use Alpro almond milk but coconut works exceptionally well here)
• 3 tbsp chia seeds (an absolute steal in Home Bargains by the way!)
• 1/2 tbsp of pure maple syrup (not pictured! It was a last minute addition).



Mix it all together in a jar and leave for a few hours, preferably overnight. Top with whatever you would like! I chose pomegranate and some sunflower and pumpkin seeds... Delicious. Those little pomegranate seeds really made it something special; the different texture and burst of tart but sweet flavour really cut through the natural creaminess of the chia pudding.

The best part? It's perfectly suited for paleo and low-FODMAP diets. It's naturally vegan too... I shouldn't have honey whilst following this diet and I just don't really like 'real' milk (plus lactose is a no no anyway). It packs in your protein, your good fats, and your fibre, so it ticks a lot of boxes.....♡ Perfect.

With love, xo
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Monday 14 March 2016



Life isn't always roses; I know this, I appreciate this, and I never expected it to be. I know that there were always going to be good days and bad days and, yes, the latter were always going to form the majority. Life doesn't always follow those little paths that you want it to – sometimes you lose control and you need to put your life in someone else’s hands or seek guidance from others. Asking for help is not weak, nor is it an embarrassment. Everybody needs a little helping hand from time to time.

I find that, in the short-term, it is so easy to look at life through rose-tinted glasses. You wake up in the morning, birds singing the morning song, burst of light from the early sunshine peeping through your curtains, and a day ready to be faced with vigour and strength. Jumping out of the shower into freshly laundered Egyptian cotton towels, a cool breeze making its way through the window, the smell of freshly brewed coffee tantalizing your senses and you feel alive. Coffee sipped, outfit on, your favourite [and most faithful] heels stepped into, hair made, and a classy flash of colour from your favourite red lipstick and you are ready to face the world, smiling to your heart’s content.

I know that, in real life, people rarely lead lives like these. In all honesty, I don’t think I have ever had a morning that started just quite so perfectly. These days I find myself dragging my bum out of bed at about 6am after waking up at 5.40am throwing myself into the shower as a way of simply waking myself up, grabbing for the nearest towel – most definitely not freshly laundered, coffee is fresh but only at the weekend. I'm known for drinking about an inch before running out of the house. My favourite and most faithful shoes are actually my slippers, not a pair of Nine West beauties (which still remain my favourite pair of heels), and doing my hair and applying lipstick? Really? I rush my hair and makeup before work every morning and sit there feeling a right mess!!

Back to the point… That ideology of a ‘perfect morning’ is, in its true essence, a highly romantic view on how a day should start; anybody who expects this day in and day out is going to be sorely disappointed and unfortunately it would just lead to a spiral of unhappiness. What I envy most about people is that for some, putting on your favourite lipstick and greeting the world with a happy smile is the norm – it doesn't have to be a product of the ‘perfect morning’, nor the product of a ‘perfect life’, it is just the way they are and they can naturally see the world through these rose-tinted glasses. It’s something that I have myself perfected over the years and I know this, only people who really know me can see through the cracks but it makes customer-faced jobs a doddle. They assume I'm some hyped up crazy chick, always on the ball, always laughing and giggling and singing. Okay, a lot of that is fact – I am the girl who sings her heart out in work and isn't afraid to make a mockery of herself, but I wasn't always like that, and it’s only now that I can look back and wonder what the trigger point was.

I think I've boiled it down to travelling and stepping way out of my comfort zone.

I used to be the kind of girl where one thing would go wrong and suddenly the day was ruined and nothing could rectify it. I used to be the girl that had a paddy if she didn't tick every item off the list. I used to be the girl that painted on one hell of a smile for work and then felt her world crashing down as soon as she left. It was dreadful, truly dreadful. Instead of taking every little bad thing in my stride and accepting that these things do happen I let each and every single thing get to me. It’s tiring. It’s never ending. It had to stop.

Dolly Parton once said: "the way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain". So, whilst sometimes I experience one of those gale-force 10 storms, I just take a deep breath and let it wash over me. I feel invincible....

With love, xo
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Saturday 12 March 2016

“When one door closes another door opens, but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.”
- Alexander Graham Bell



As humans we appear to have an uncanny ability of dwelling on the past and being unable to let go, I've been there. I know. Because of that dwelling, because of that concentration, we often fail to see those new opportunities, those new open doors that may be right in front of our very eyes. As clear as a summer's day. Unfortunately it is a lot easier for us to focus on the negatives - the closed door - than to turn our attention to those better things in life, but there is absolutely no reason to let the past shape your future - after all, you are in charge of your own destiny.

I've been there and, even now writing this, I'm still not 100% convinced that I can practice what I preach. I'm terrible for it, in fact, I dwell on past events like there's no tomorrow. Now, there's no harm in thinking about the past, but as soon as it starts to have an effect on your future - well, that's when things have to change. This is where I've changed.

I've made a lot of mistakes in the past - I mean, who hasn't? We're only human and it is bound to happen. Accepting that it has happened, accepting that there is no changing the past, making a mental note to not make that same mistake again, and then moving forward is key.

I'm no stranger to new changes, new starts, or sudden bursts of optimism where feel I could scream at the top of my lungs, "life begins now". I'm sick of dwelling on the past so I'm ready to pull the plug on that. It's a chilly Saturday afternoon, I've done all of the bits and bobs I needed to do and I'm preparing myself for a night of 'ME' whilst the mother goes off to see a friend. Precious me time is important and I haven't had it for a while... I've got lined up a delicious toasted sesame tofu stirfry, FODMAP and meat free might I add, an ice cold bottle of Leffe, a bubble bath with my wonderful Lush treats, and I couldn't be more excited.

I've got plenty to be thankful for. Yes, I'm possibly not where I want to be in life at the moment. I'd have thought that by 25 (...and a half) I'd have a lot more going for me but it doesn't always work like that, does it? I'm ready to reconnect with the people I've pushed out for various reasons (coping mechanism - I'm guilty for this!), treat my body and mind with the love and respect they deserve, and venture back into the sunshine.

So, here's a big goodbye to the past and worrying about what is going to happen based on those past events because, well, face it, yesterday is old news and why on earth would we want to relive the same old adventure?

[Little Fish ♡]
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Tuesday 8 March 2016


During my university years (and oh how long ago that feels now...) one of my firm staples that fitted the student budget was pesto and pasta. I absolutely adore pesto, the garlic-basil-pinenut-cheese combo was heavenly, and although I knew back then that pasta didn’t do me much good the alternatives were too expensive and the now-popular vegetable based ‘pastas’ weren’t really around for the regular folk like me...

Since tweaking my diet somewhat to cut out the nasties and reduce those FODMAPS, I can no longer divulge in a massive plate of the stuff. I thought I was waving goodbye to those happy memories and quick fixes (although gratefully accepting a happier tummy!) until I stumbled across low-FODMAP pesto from Sarah’s blog - A Saucy Kitchen - and her instagram (check her out @asaucykitchen).

Now, I had to make a fair few adjustments since my pine-nut supply had diminished somewhat and I needed something to make the flavour pop a little but I think it really worked and I’d love to share it. Just a quick note that technically cashew nuts are high on the FODMAP scale hence the 'nearly-FODMAP' status (heartbreaking I know, I do love them) but this recipe only uses 1/3 of a cup so there’s only a small amount per serving. You know your body better than I do (and you’ll know whether you can tolerate cashews)! 

I also didn't use any parmesan so this recipe is vegan friendly though you could easily add this as per the original recipe, just make sure you add this in before any addition of salt because the cheese will add a natural saltiness anyway.

This recipe makes about 4 servings depending on how much pesto you like. I mixed this with coodles (courgette noodles, how cute!) but this would work perfectly well with your favourite pasta or spaghetti (whether you're gluten-free or not!)

The ingredients:
  • 1 cup (approx. 50g) chopped chives
  • 2 cups of loosely packed basil
  • 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup of cashews (or pine nuts if you have them)
  • A good squeeze of lemon (to taste, I used about 1/2 lemon)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Natural vibrancy!

The how to...
  • Throw the basil and chives into your blender (I just used a stick blender with a mini-chopper attachment but any should work fine here). Don't add the EVOO, lemon juice, and salt and pepper just yet.
  • Whiz it together and slowly add the EVOO, mixing after each trickle to help emulsify it.
  • Once all of the oil is added and your mixture resembles pesto (like the photo above!) add your lemon juice and salt/pepper to taste!


Delicious, simple, and perfect for a weeknight.

Little fish, xo


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Wednesday 2 March 2016

For someone who doesn't particularly have a sweet tooth I do an awful lot of baking. I'm certainly no contender for the Great British Bake Off, as much as I'd love to be, but my love of baking stemmed from those baking sessions with my Gran when I was little. Yes, most of the time my only contribution was clearing up (licking the bowl) and taste testing, but once I left home for university and when my Gran was poorly, the list of ‘to bakes’ grew as I was left to bring round the sweet treats that she could no longer bake...

There’s something about baking that makes it so cathartic. From gathering up the ingredients, to the gentle hum of the oven, to the smiles on the faces of the ones you love as they stuff their faces (only to complain later when the jeans get a little tight - oops).

Whilst I still love to bake a delicious sweet treat, I’m finding myself spending less and less in the kitchen and more time browsing Pinterest for recipe alternatives. I love the odd cake or two (I am still more of a savoury bird mind!) but too much sugar brings on migraines, too much wheat brings on IBS, too many sinfully good treats and my body literally breaks down.

I’ve recently been educating myself about FODMAPs and the effect that these carbohydrates have on the body or more so the effect they have on your gut. A lot of people with gastro related issues (I’m looking at you IBS, you might be a doctor’s favourite diagnosis but you aren’t winning this time) seem to find an awful lot of relief of cutting various things out of their diet... Wheat (not strictly gluten - I’m not talking about coeliacs here) and lactose being the two main culprits!

So what are FODMAPs? FODMAPs (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols) are basically carbohydrates that are found in foods. I’m not about to start a war on carbs here because they’re not all that bad - they have their uses for example - but unfortunately for some people, FODMAPs are poorly absorbed by some people and can cause the myriad of symptoms a la IBS. Wonderful hey?

I’m no dietician, goodness, so I’m not about to start spouting off advice on what you can and cannot eat, I will however be documenting my journey through reducing those dreaded FODMAPs and seeing how my physical and mental well being improves.

So, where were we? Ah, I was talking about baking.

As mentioned, one of the main culprits and a definite FODMAP no-no is wheat, so now is the time to put down those conventional wheat-ridden bakes and start exploring more wheat and gluten free options... That is where I present to you my FODMAP friendly, wheat/gluten-free, nut free, dairy free (remember lactose is largely a no-no too!), guilt free sweet potato brownies. I’ve used my lovely work colleagues as guinea pigs and all of the feedback was positive! Some preferred the traditional gooey, delicious, sugar-laden brownies that we all know and love but for us tender tummies who just can’t cope with more than a crumb I know where my vote sits...


Wet ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, roasted, then skin removed.
5 dates
3 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
2.5 tbsp pure maple syrup (or honey if you wish)
2 medium eggs (or if vegan, you could easily replaces these with flax eggs)

Dry ingredients:
3 tbsp coconut flour (also works with oat flour)
3 tbsp cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt

This is a really simple recipe. Seriously, it's a case of blitzing all of the wet ingredients together (I use my Nutribullet). Then, I pour the mixture into the sifted dry ingredients, mix, and pour into a lined 8x8 tin. If the mixture is too stiff, add some liquid - almond milk (or normal milk if you're not going for dairy free).

Pop in a preheated oven (175C), middle shelf, for 25-35 minutes... and voila!

You can cut this into how ever many chunks you would like. I cut mine into 20 bite-sized portions which are perfect if you fancy a bittersweet pop of cocoa that you know isn't going to hurt you! I used the trusty MyFitnessPal app to calculate the nutritional information if you so wish to have a look (per piece)...




Most of the ingredients listed above are totally fine for a low-FODMAP diet, thank you to IBSdiets.org and LowFodmapForLife for the information. There are a few ingredients that are on the post however as below, but here's why I’m still using them:

Sweet potato - Whilst sweet potato is classed as a low-FODMAP food, eating it in excess may cause adverse conditions. Most sources advise eating no more than 1/2 a cup a day (about 3 tbsp). One large sweet potato is used in the whole recipe, meaning that per bite you’re only consuming 1/20th of a sweet potato.

Dates - Dates are considered a high-FODMAP food due to the levels of fructose. This recipe does only use 5 dates (for 20 servings) so the effect on total fructose levels should only be minimal.

Maple syrup - Pure maple syrup is a fantastic low-FODMAP option for adding a little sweetness to your food. Honey is unfortunately a no-go due to the fructose levels so keep in mind... Watch out for the cheaper maple syrups that are more ‘maple syrup flavouring’ if anything, these contain plenty of nasties...

Coconut flour - This one is a funny one and it’s all down to personal preference. Some people react to it, others don’t! The good thing about coconut flour is that many recipes (including this one!) only call for small amounts. I’ve made these brownies before using ground up oats which were an excellent alternative and a definite low-FODMAP option.

With love, Little Fish x
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