Chickpea, Avocado & Feta Salad

Avocados are one of my favourites. I am always looking for recipes that include them. While I was in Palm Springs my friend Danny introduced me to this recipe from the blog Two Peas and their Pod. They have some interesting salad recipes. I will certainly be giving them a try as the weather hopefully warms up

This recipe involves no cooking so I think you might say that I assembled it. It was so easy. We served it as part of a buffet for a party. It claims that it only need 5 minutes to make this healthy salad! It took me a little bit longer. 

SERVES 4

prep time: 5 MINUTES

total time: 5 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 avocados, pitted, and chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (Coriander)
2 tablespoons green onion (Spring onion)
1/3 cup feta cheese
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, combine chickpeas, avocado, cilantro, green onion, feta cheese, and lime juice. Stir until mixed well. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Voila - it's that easy. Looks impressive and tastes delicious. I thought that adding cherry tomatoes sliced in half would add some colour and some vitamin C.

Escapism

The holiday to California was pure escapism. Sunshine and yes blue skies , lift the spirits in the middle of a northern hemisphere winter. Everything about it felt as if it was summer. I ate light fresh summery food. Interesting salads, fresh fruit, ripe avocados and grapefruits and tangerines picked from the tree in the garden. It doesn't get fresher than this!

 

It got me thinking how for some of us, and I include myself in this category, that when things get busy we stop doing the things that we actually need to make us feel better with life and ourselves. When work pressures build up and there is a shortage of time, I find that I drop the meditation routine, my morning writing and eat without thinking what I am feeding my body. The only thing that seems to remain as a non negotiable is sleep. Seven hours as a minimum. Without that I would be unable to function.


I made a promise to myself that when I got home, I would prioritise the things that I have introduced into my life that make me feel good. I am keeping a note of what I do and when. It will be interesting to see the impact that these things have on my well being  - and interestingly how bad I feel when I am too busy to do them.

                                              I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile I'll leave you
                                                                        with this!!

Time for some rest and relaxation

It's been a very busy 6 weeks at work since returning from the Christmas break. It must be time for some rest and relaxation.

Where better than a trip to see my friends Danny and Alan, who have bought a condo in Palm Springs, California.   I arrived here last on the 11th February. It's been very warm and sunny. Is it really February? You could easily forget that it is.

After a couple of days to adjust to the time difference, my brain is no longer foggy and I'm sleeping through the night.

SoCal (Southern California) is a paradise in winter. Blue skies, sunshine, mountains, palm trees, swimming pools and surprisingly healthy food. The snow birds are here in force, all escaping the cold winter of the Canadian and North American winter. It's a popular destination and I can see why. This has to be so healthy for older people than enduring the cold of a northern hemisphere winter. For me a blast of sunshine in the middle of winter is such a treat. My vitamin D levels are being topped up.

       As I write this is the view from the patio. 

Deliciously Ella Every Day and Signs that spring is on the way.

Have you noticed that the days are getting longer? It was almost 5 p.m. this evening before it started to get dark.
 

                            I came across this clump of snowdrops. I almost walked past them.

  

When I arrived home my latest cook book had arrived "Deliciously Ella Every Day"

Looking forward to reading this and planning some new meals to cook.

Giving Tuesday

Yesterday was so called Giving Tuesday - 1 December. It largely passed me by I have to say. Apart from giving another stack of notes to the roofer for what I am still not sure. I am embarrassed to say that yet another "day" or "charity event" has passed me by. Is it me or are we just too bombarded by requests to help. Even with the restrictions placed on charities in limiting the flyers and requests for cash, it does seem that a week does'nt pass by without something happening in the charity area.
Don't get me wrong, charities need cash to survive, but we all have our areas where we like to donate money or time. For me this has been traditionally cancer charities.


Every year instead of sending Christmas cards, I nmake a donation to charity. I tend to have favoured The Pelican Cancer Foundation. This is a charity very close to my heart. Last year I donated to Crisis - a charity for the homeless in London. Sadly I won't be doing this again as the number of mail requests for further cash not only left a bad taste in my mouth but the associated costs of such mailing must have out weighed the actual donation I made.


So this year I will revert to my usual charity, who send you a thank you email and then just get on with it. I like this approach.


There was some great news to come out of Giving Tuesday and that was the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife are setting up a foundation and donating 99% of their shares. This is such a philanthropic act.  It got me thinking that there must be lots of other billionaires out there who will never be able to spend the massive wealth that they have accumulated and should follow this example - instead of finding more and more ways to limit the taxes that they pay on their wealth. Maybe we will find ourselves entering an age of philanthropy again and the "me me me " society might just settle down.


                                                        OK rant over!!!


                       And by the way it's December - this year has certainly rushed by.

So apart from work

So apart from.work what else has been grabbing my attention? I'm loving ......

1 Listening to my latest downloads on iplayer radio. I've become a fan of the Archers Omnibus. It's a treat to listen on my Tuesday morning commute.
2. Reading on my Kindle.
3. Walkies with Colin.
4. Clearing up the garden ready for winter.
5. Watching Nurse Jackie. Its good to have  a box set to get into as winter approaches.
6. Eating seasonally. Which means experimenting with new recipes.
7. Ditching salads in favour of warm soups and hot foods. One of my favourites being an aubergine and chickpea thai curry.

The return to wellness................

Out of the blue I'm working again! Yes came as a bit of a shock to me too!!! I started back at PwC on 1 September. Three days a week - two of which are in the office and one at home. It's taken a while to get a routine togther - getting up early to catch the train, being out all day, having brain ache from all the new information I was absorbing and arranging doggie day care for Colin. Thank you Ruth for looking after my Colin two days a week.

I think that I have settled into my new routine now. I am enjoying the work and the money comes in useful. It's been great to catch up with old colleagues and to make new ones. My life has moved on yet again in a different direction. I am conscious how this might affect me and am continually monitoring how this is all impacting my health and well-being. So I will be letting you know how I am getting on. As someone said to me when I was deciding whether to go  back to work - "this marks a return to wellness". It feels that way too after the last two months of adjusting.

 A sunny lunch break walk in London.