Good morning I hope you had a good week last week… mine was ok…Although I have given myself a good kick up the proverbial just about an hour ago…Butt kicking it is called…haha…

Last week  I covered Anti-inflammatory foods and Added Sugars ...When you break it down it does all point to healthy eating…Not boring and bland…Delicious healthy food with a moderate amount of excise thrown in…

What makes us reach for the biscuit tin or the chocolate bar??

Stress...Comes in all forms from the kid’s untidy bedrooms to an ever-demanding boss…I could write a long list but it comes in so many guises.

What we need is not Ghostbusters but Stress Busters.

Although if you watched a few episodes back to back it would probably de-stress you…haha…

Seriously though Sally published an article on stress which is well worth a read she covers everything much of it based on her own weight loss experiences her weight loss is impressive there are no holds barred she is brutally honest about herself.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/02/02/smorgasbord-health-column-size-matters-the-sequel-obesity-change-and-stress-reaction-by-sally-cronin/

Of course, a healthy diet sometimes needs to be based on your bodies requirements for example if you have a particular medical condition or diagnosed allergy so I will try to give you meals and recipes but also highlight the benefits of certain ingredients I find it helps if you know what you need to eat for optimum health after all we only have one body…

Also over at Sally’s, she is starting a new series soon for which I am providing recipes which will be highlighting vitamins and minerals also the foods which contain them. I think it is a brilliant idea and will help us all eat for optimum health which is my aim …How about you…??

Now that dreaded word exercise…This girl is brilliant…

Time for some recipes…This one is super easy and so tasty and for those of you like me who are experiencing beautiful weather or just because you want a nice healthy snack…Papaya Salsa… Called the fruit of the Angels by Christopher  Columbus it is packed with Vitamin A & C and rich in sources of antioxidants especially carotenes so married with the tomato and lime Juice it is a healthy little bowl of salsa.

All you need is papaya, tomato, onions and coriander and some freshly squeezed lime juice…You can make enough for one or enough for a party…Just mix it all up together and enjoy!

If you are experiencing ultra cold weather then, of course, you want something nice and warming…

Today I am giving you one of my favourite dishes  Asparagus is very plentiful here and one of my favourite stir fries with prawns, lemongrass and lime leaves. It is also a good source of Vitamin C.

Very quick and easy to do once you get your ingredients together.

Prawn and Asparagus Stir Fry.

Ingredients:

• 250 gm asparagus cut in half…asparagus is very thin here but if you are using thicker asparagus then either shave the asparagus or cut into 3-inch pieces.
• A small piece of ginger peeled and grated.
• 1 stalk of lemongrass bashed and very finely chopped.
• 4 lime leaves very thinly sliced
• 3-4 tbsp of fish sauce
• 1 tbsp palm sugar or light muscovado sugar
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 10 raw king prawns either peeled or leave the tails on.
• 1 shallot thinly sliced
• 1-2 Thai birds eye chillies finely sliced
• 2-3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 4 spring onions cut into 2-inch pieces

Lets Cook!

Mix together the ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves, fish sauce and sugar and put to one side.

Meanwhile, heat the wok on high and when it’s really hot add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add in the king prawns and stir-fry for one to two minutes, until the prawns have gone pink with slightly golden edges. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Add the onion to the wok and stir-fry for two minutes. Add the chilli, garlic and spring onion and stir-fry for a further four minutes until the onions have softened. Add the asparagus and stir-fry for a further minute.

Finally, add the prawns, pour over the sauce which was prepared earlier, and cook until the sauce becomes sticky (around three minutes).

Serve immediately with Thai steamed rice and enjoy!

Day 5 of my sourdough starter …Take 2…So far so good…Just saying!

Anti- Ageing Food Corner:

Green Tea…My first drink of the day is a pot of green tea…What is Green Tea?

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Green tea is produced from unoxidized leaves which means it goes through fewer processes thus it has more antioxidants and polyphenols than it’s sister black tea.

Green Tea has been used for many thousands of years in traditional Chinese and Indian medicines.

The amount of research into the medicinal properties of green tea is mind-blowing and very interesting in this case I am looking at the anti ageing properties.

Green tea is about 30 per cent polyphenols by weight, including large amounts of catechin called EGCG. Catechins are natural antioxidants that help prevent cell damage and provide other benefits.

These substances can reduce the formation of free radicals in the body, protecting cells and molecules from damage. These free radicals are known to play a role in ageing and all sorts of diseases.

Not only can green tea improve brain function in the short term, but it may also protect your brain in old age.

Thank you for reading this post I am happy that you joined me today.

For delicious healthy recipes, hints and tips on exercise and stress-busting.

I hope you thought so  too xxx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great week xx