October 2018
- Autumnal Happenings
- Easy Seasonal Recipe: Delicious Breakfast Apples
- Article of the Month: Vegan Tuesdays
- And Finally… Local Craft Pop-up Shop
Hello healthy people,
The nights are drawing in, the leaves changing colour and autumn is here. In the studio, we start to focus more on strength and effective workouts that you can do in the comfort of your lounge room. Of course, getting outside in the shorter days is important for buoyant mood and Vitamin D levels. There’s something rather nice about running, walking or cycling on a crisp clear day.
Here in the studio we believe in volunteering in the local community, and I’ve been on the Board of Leith Festival for the last couple of years. I’m delighted to be ‘Board Member of the Year’ finalist in the Business Women Scotland Awards. Regulars to the studio will know my obsession with all things Leith Festival, and official position of Pageant Coordinator. The award is announced early next month…
Easy Seasonal Recipe: Delicious Breakfast Apples
It is so easy to cook apples, which makes them easier to eat – they are delicious with muesli for breakfast or on porridge. I prefer not to call them stewed, as the apples are only lightly and gently cooked. Cooked apples keep well in a sealed container (I use an Kilner jar) in the fridge, and are also wonderful as a dessert. Add cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon or even a vanilla pod, to taste. These are a great way to use up a glut of apples.
4 – 6 apples, peeled and cored
50 mL water
sugar to taste
– Roughly chop peeled apples and place in a pan with the water.
– Gently bring to the boil, turn down the heat and cook for 5 – 10 minutes, covered until slightly tender.
– You can add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves (1 tsp spice) to taste. I sometimes add cinnamon, dark brown sugar and sultanas.
– Experiment!
Article of the Month: Vegan Tuesdays
Veganism is a recent trend however is not a new idea. Vegans avoid eating anything derived from animals, so that rules out milk, cheese, yoghurt, eggs, honey and obviously all meat and fish. For some people it is the epitome of ‘clean’ eating.
If you’re vegan-curious but the thought of going full vegan is slightly daunting, try one day a week and see how you get on. Over autumn I’m trying ‘vegan Tuesdays’ as an experiment. So far I have discovered that I rely quite a lot on dairy during the day. I’m mindful of cruel dairy farming practices, so I usually buy Graham’s milk (from Scotmid) as their animal welfare record is good.
A typical vegan day might look like this:
Breakfast: Porridge or homemade muesli with almond milk and breakfast apples (recipe above), mint tea.
Morning snack: Oatcakes with hummus or peanut butter, banana, black coffee.
Lunch: Soup or salad (depending on weather), fresh orange juice.
Afternoon snack: ‘Activated’ (pre-soaked) almonds, fruit.
Dinner: Curry, falafel or pasta with a tomato sauce. Plus plenty of water / herbal teas through the day.
If you eat cereal or oats for breakfast, remember to buy dairy-free ‘milk’ in advance. It’s also important to plan your snacks. My first vegan Tuesday resulted in a huge energy crash as I didn’t eat enough, and on another Tuesday I nearly resorted to hot chips (very easy to come by on Leith Walk!). Careful meal planning is crucial if you are an active vegan. Have lots of nuts and seeds to hand and remember to fortify meals with pulses and lentils. Veganism may have some health benefits; for instance, when a client had to reduce their cholesterol levels, they went vegan (and exercised more) for awhile and it seemed to work. It may also help you be more mindful about your eating. It certainly helps the environment…
Give it a go and let me know how you get on.
And Finally… Crafty Pop-Up Shop!
We’re very happy that the studio hosts regular pop-up shops and events. At the end of the month, on the weekend of 27 and 28 October is Teenie Tings Terrariums Air Plant and local crafts Pop-up Shop (click link for Facebook invite). Come and support local arts and crafts, say hello and get yourself an air plant.
Fancy running your own pop-up shop? The shop is for rent Fridays to Sundays at very reasonable rates – more info on studio hire on the Griffen Fitness website.
Have a happy and healthy October,
Tracy 🙂