Here's another recipe for a perfect night's sleep

As promised, here's my juice recipe for a good night's sleep. I’ve used this many times to aid a restful night and although I can’t promise it will work for you every time, it's got to be worth a go. If anything, at least it will be healthy for you. Next to the four ingredients I’ve put the reasons behind their inclusion in the recipe.

Juice the following ingredients...

• One small raw beetroot - the starch and complex carbohydrates in beetroot help serotonin production that can help promote sleep.
  
• Two sticks of celery  - celery is known to have a calming effect on the central nervous system.
  
• Large handful of lettuce - lettuce contains natural opiates which have a mild sedative effect and can be calming to the nerves and muscles. Lettuce also contains vitamins A, C. B1, B2, B3 and E.
  
• A handful of cherries with the pips taken out – cherries are full of anthocyanins, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory chemical, and are high in melatonin which is the hormone that helps control the body's rhythms. As the cherry season passes, you can substitute with fresh or frozen blueberries.

As an additional option once the juice is prepared you can stir in a small teaspoon of honey, any sort, but I prefer Manuka honey. Manuka honey can help with digestion problems.

Well I do hope you’re giving this juicing malarkey a go. I’d love to hear what juices you like to create or leave comment below if you would like any more of my recipes I use with my family.
 
Lots of love

Claudia
X

Come and join my JUICY new life

I want to tell you about a new healthy direction in my life with the chance that you might want to join in.

I’ve always been an advocate of healthy eating and eating most things in moderation. I’ve never been on any diet and I’ve never particularly deprived myself of a type of food, but by eating sensibly and exercising regularly seems to have kept me in good shape.

BUT as I’ve started to head towards the 40 mark (I’m 37 this November) I want to make sure I’m giving myself the best start to middle age I can and I want to feel great from the inside out. The whole family is along for the ride too with my Husband Steven really loving it.
 
What is this new direction? JUICING. Not just the odd glass of freshly squeezed juice, full blown three glasses a day of veggie juice. I'm still having a meal at 5pm with the family but it’s a steamed veggies and fish or grilled chicken and salad meal variety.  
 

Cooking for the family on Mother's Day

Yesterday I cooked lunch for 15 and we had a fantastic day. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to cook as we all have different favourite dishes in the family. As I was in the mood for putting on a bit of a spread this is what I prepared...

What a feast we had

I cooked a long slow chicken curry (bhuna style), but kept it fairly mild for the children, and poached salmon with a medley of prawn, scallops and baby mushrooms in garlic butter. Then there was cauliflower cheese with sliced tomato with more grated cheese on top, pilau rice, roasted parsnips, carrots, suede drizzled in a tiny amount of maple syrup and lots of creamy mashed sweet potato with chopped up spring onion.

I also cooked a pasta dish with red, yellow, green peppers, courgettes, red onion and basil - the kids loved it and there was plenty left over for their packed lunch today.