Quick update…

we are in the house, the kitchen is gorgeous with its big, chunky, cool granite surfaces, I love working on them and they are perfect for photos too.

The bathroom has a working shower, loo and basin but the bath is being used to hold towels …. and there is, as yet, no door. Maybe today!

We are feeling exhausted after working every day for so long (OK apart from the enforced holiday on the Il de Ré when our first rental guests were here and we hadn’t got a bathroom in, haha, poor old us!) but it is a very satisfied tired. We have moved past the point of working for days on end without much to show for it (though loads has happened in the back ground). At latest things we are doing actually show and make a difference which s satisfying – as a door or two would.

So many people are dealing with being tired, over worked, looking for work, ill or caring for somebody who is ill, stressed, depressed, excited, living on adrenaline …. all this takes energy and nothing can give that more than food – other than a few weeks rest of course, even then you need good, clean, boosting foods. It is so much easier to cut the stodge in summer too. Fresh, local fruits and veggies bursting with flavour and packed with vitamins. Lets make the most of it.

I have been loving the last few days. For the first time in the new house I have been creating meals for clients, soaking, blending, dehydrating and tasting. Balancing flavours and varying textures. Adding colour and packing in the nutrition.

You can do it too – make every ingredient count, try to add in sweet, salty, tangy, sour, warm, cool and as many colours as you can. You know you need green, as dark as possible. Dark purples, bright reds, summer oranges (it is so good to have all the juicy summer peaches, nectarines and apricots), crisp whites etc. Then think of textures, creamy, juicy, crisp, chewy.

For example:

CHIA PUDDING: and easy recipe for 2 small bowls

Mix 2 TBS chia seeds with 8 TBS almond milk 1/2 tsp each ginger and cardamon, pinch salt and leave to soak until plump whilst you prep the following

Soak 1 TBS raisins and 1 TBS sunflower seeds (or more of course) in the juice of an orange

Dice and soak an apple in lemon juice

After about 15 mins your chia should be ready so combine everything except the apple together, including the soak juices

Add 1 tsp raw, local honey (or agave) or more of less to taste

Stir in a teaspoon of spirulina

Pop the apple in the bottom of your bowl and pile the rest on top.

Tastes good, does you good 🙂

Have fun!

PS We are offering 20% OFF our raw food retreats in autumn, contact desri.goodwin@gmail.com

Lots of photos and ideas on my Instagram account and websites – Insta: Desrigoodwin

www.desriskitchen.com www.boutiqueretreatfrance.com

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What is that?

by Desri GoodwinNovember 12, 2016 Uncategorized0 comments

“It’s a Papaya”.

“What do you do with it?”.

Where shall I begin?!

Here’s a few things you can do with papaya:

1 Cut it in half and remove the seeds. These are very good for killing certain parasites in the gut, I know but you probably have a few…at least…. If you are making a smoothy keep a reaspoon full to add in, gives a slightly spicy tang.

2 Sprinkle with lime juice and just eat it. Delicious any time and a great start to the day.

3 Dry the seeds and use them in a pepper mill, they add a nice punch to food and extra nutritional benefits too.

4 If you eat a protein heavy meal, for example red meat, have some Papaya as a refreshing desert or starter. It is full of papain, proteolytic enzymes, that help digestion. It is also high in vitamins A, B and C, potassium, calcium and of course fibre which we love!

5 Delicious in a salad.

I make a big mixed salad using various leaves, all the summer standards such as cucumber, radish, tomatoes, onions etc and chop in a papaya ( or half, depends on the size and how many people!) and avocado.

Sprinkle with sea weed flakes and toss in a dressing of your choice. My fave for this salad is: juice of an orange, about 1 desert spoon (to taste) Braggs, same of really flavoursome olive oil, tsp honey or agave, a crushed clove of garlic.

I sprinkle the whole thing with some chia seeds (to soak up all that lovely dressing) and help seeds.

6 Don’t throw away the skin! Rub in on your hands, your face, elbows, knees, all over. It softens your skin, eats away the dead skin cells, cleans it really. Leave for up to ten minutes (avoid your eyes) then rinse off; like a baby’s botty.

7 I went to an Ayurdedic retreat and it was served steamed (traditionally Ayurveda is not so cooked as depending on the dosha some people find raw foods harder to digest). It was actually delicious, I couldn’t tell it had been cooked so maybe it hadn’t been steamed much; I’d stick to raw personally.

So, there you have it, a few ideas to enjoy the magic of Papaya.

I think I’ll print it out on cards and carry some around with me to give to the people on the super market tills!

papaya