I’m back!! It’s been a crazy few months and it is hard to believe that my last blog post was back in March. Seriously. Where does the time go?

Unfortunately, my blog always takes the hit when life gets chaotic. This needs to change. I started writing this blog as a way to find my own little creative space where I could share my love for good food. It has always been a retreat from the madness of life as a working mum. I miss blogging!

It’s time to swing back in to action and I’m starting off nice and easy with a recipe I promised to share a long time ago!

It’s been an amazing summer here in London and one of the best things has been the generous servings of fresh fruits and vegetables I have consumed these past few weeks. It is too hot to eat, perhaps another reason the blog has gone a bit quiet! 😉

I came up with this deliciously cold recipe on a particularly hot day when I wanted pasta but couldn’t face the thought of eating anything warm.  Sweet, juicy cherry tomatoes, freshly chopped spinach, crumbly feta, garlic and red chilli combined with cold fusilli pasta and the simplest dressing of lemon juice and olive oil was just what I needed.

London takes on a whole new persona when the summer sun shines. People are friendlier, happier, brighter. Sunny dresses are out in all their girly glory, as are the sandals and sun cream. Summer also means lazy BBQs and refreshing salads – hooray!! Most definitely, my favourite time of the year.

After a super indulgent Wales trip followed by a decadent birthday weekend, my body craved some clean eating. Thankfully, the summer sun is feeding my healthy eating drive and I’ve been whipping up tasty salad storms.

I had the opportunity to speak to Dr. Christy Fergusson aka The Food Psychologist a few days ago. Dr. Christy Fergusson is a psychologist, nutritional therapist and clinical hypnotherapist who uses her personal experiences and training in nutrition to counsel young girls and women through a range of health issues.

Image provided by WIre Media

Christy’s own health troubles started at the age of 12 and lasted throughout her teenage years with a range of diagnoses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, severe acne, bulimia, endometriosis, poly cystic ovaries, depression and more. Her battles with her own health sparked an interest in pursuing psychology and clinical nutrition at university. However, the turning point for Christy was a consultation with a naturopath following which she realised that the source of all her illnesses was nothing else but a poor diet. Once her diet changed, everything changed.

Happy International Women’s Day to all the incredible women in my life! Today is all about proudly celebrating our strength and femininity and there couldn’t be a better opportunity to introduce you to an inspiring women’s health and fitness festival coming up in London in a few weeks.

Be:Fit London, previously known as The Vitality Show, returns at the end of March with London’s largest women’s health and fitness event. Be:Fit London celebrity ambassadors include inspiring Olympic athletes  such as Victoria Pendleton and Denise Lewis, supermodel and sports personality Jodie Kidd, as well as Sky Sports News presenter Kirsty Gallacher who will formally open the show.

After a sunny summer spent wearing pretty dresses, sipping cocktails/wine, and eating gorgeous food, it wasn’t much fun struggling to breathe in my ‘comfortable’ pair of jeans last week. Ugh. I think it might be time for another round of detox.

As a ‘foodie’, I don’t have the desire or discipline to ‘diet’ so my focus will be on eating right and making better choices.

In need for some serious inspiration and guidance, I turned to ‘The Beauty Detox Solution’, a book by celebrity nutritionist and beauty expert, Kimberly Snyder.  I am not even half way through the book and seem to have already found the motivation to make some changes.