Banana and cinnamon smoothie

This is taken from the innocent smoothie book and adapted only slightly by using raw honey and a touch more than it called for, it is the nicest smoothie I have ever tasted, it is meant to serve two but I have just guzzled the whole batch in about 5 minutes, it is absolutely wonderful. Okay I will shut up raving about it and tell you what to do.

The Big Quit, take 2

Well I am trying yet again to give the cigs the boot. I tried to quit a couple of days ago and so far am failing miserably, I saw the stop smoking service and the lady was absolutely lovely, really kind friendly lady who was willing to help us all she could but me being me had major tantrums yesterday and couldn't cope.

Gluten and Dairy Free banana bread

Gluten and Dairy Free banana bread ( cake)

To make 1 2lb loaf:

150g sultanas or about 100g dark chocolate chips/dairy free chocolate chips

I lemon

100g Pure dairy free sunflower spread

125g caster sugar

2 large eggs

3 large, very ripe bananas mashed with a fork

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

200g Doves Farm gluten free self raising flour

Well it has been an interesting few months.

|well hello again everyone. it has been a while but things have been rather chaotic. I am in the midst of being transferred from Incapacity benefit to ESA, I have had my cluster headaches turn from episodic to chronic and am being hit 8-9 times a day, my ME has gone wild and currently have tonsillitis and oral thrush due to taking steroids for the cluster headaches with a throat infection so the thrush decided it would join the party.

I have exciting news, the 6th book is out and ready for download on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com for just £1.90, this is the 6th and final book in the Forum Publishing range and not to be missed.

more fun available for your e-reader

Morning people!

Well what can I say, it has been a busy time for Forum Publishing as book number 5 is out already and, all I can say is wow, I got it a few days ago and I have been reading and it is absolutely hilarious, it is called, The Day of Reckoning and is a prequel to The Naked Emperor and we all know how much I enjoyed that one, I have come and sat and read bits of it a few times and each time I have been laughing like a mad woman, it is absolutely brilliant, and I am in love with Orph. The characters are amazing.

more exciting news

Well, what a couple of weeks its been, I have had a bit of an accident and currently have my arm in a cast, hopefully it will be removed tomorrow so I will be back to causing my usual chaos, But we have big news, Roger's 4th book has been released on Amazon for the Kindle. It is called The Association and already has some shining reviews, Even more amazing news is this book is available for a limited time for only 86p!

Slow Cooker Vegan Rice pudding

This is a recipe I adapted from a regular recipe I was given and it turned out wonderfully, it reminded me of canned rice pudding and was a really nice treat. not to be eaten a lot as it does contain sugar and is full of carbs, but for when comfort food calls, this hits the spot. Feel free to sub the Rice milk for a milk of your choice, If you use soya, or regular milk the Oat cream is not essential as it will be creamy enough.

Sorry for the absence

Well where to start! Things have been very chaotic the last couple of months it started with my dad taking ill back in July and he passed away peacefully on the 22^nd July there was all the emotions to deal with and preparing for the funeral then the day itself, which alone was exhausting. 

Vegan Gluten Free Carrot cake cupcakes.

These are absolutely delicious and I adapted the recipe to make them gluten free, they are really moist and light and much too edible, I wanted to eat them all in one day, they lasted two! so do not ask me how well they keep as they do not last that long.

Motorcycling and CFS

The following was sent to me by one of the forum members ian2008 and it shows that we dont always have to give up what we love, we just have to find a way to manage it.

One of my great pleasures and passions in my life is motorcycling. Prior to getting CFS I would ride my motorcycle (bike) as far and as often as I could. My wife and I would go to many race meetings, go on holiday and ride out to quiet country spots and have a picnic. Many pleasurable hours were spent cleaning and repairing the bike. However, since CFS, my riding and enjoyment has been somewhat curtailed. 

To Be A Man, YouTube Video

But I don’t have a Kindle.

My response when I heard about the Forum Publishing venture was 'oh fantastic, books', then I realised they were Kindle books and I didn’t have, and couldn’t afford, a Kindle. Quite miffed with myself I said on the forum that I was sorry I wouldn’t be able to get them, and then I was introduced to the wonder that is the free Kindle for PC application, that you can get literally in a couple of clicks on Amazon.

Coping with emotion.

This post sort of follows on from Kooky's post, we must both have been on a similar wavelength today.

People with CFS have to deal with all kinds of emotions in relation to dealing with chronic illness, theirs and their partners/families lives can be turned totally upside down, which in turn puts immense  strain on relationships and mental well being.

Add to this the fact that some degree of emotional lability is not uncommon in CFS and what would normal be small things can upset someone with CFS greatly or make them angry. I think the main base of this is frustration and grief for your former life. Frustrations that you cannot do what you did before and anger as you want to be able to do things. Grief is a strange emotion not just appearing when you lose someone, I find I almost mourn for my old lifestyle, the old Carrie.

Success, tenacity and resilience

Checking my e-mail today I came across this little gem from Jon at Moodscope...

"Success... ...isn't about brilliance - it's much more to do with tenacity and resilience. The ability to keep to your path single-mindedly when distractions are all about you. And the power to spring back into shape after things get bent out of shape.

It's all-too easy to give up when things go wrong. But where does that get you?

Tenacity and resilience will go a long way towards getting you through whatever life throws at you."

This is useful advice for everyone, but it's also something for the CFSer to bear in mind. Some days we all feel like giving up, we're fed up with being worn out and in pain.  But if you stay focussed on what you want to achieve, then you'll be that step closer to getting there.  

Vegan gluten free pancakes number 2

As promised, I managed to find the recipe for the other pancakes I make, I find these tend to be a bit lighter, I like to add sliced banana or dark chocolate chips to it, they are nice plain though with maple syrup or agave nectar.

ROFL

I was reading through the funny posts on the forum today and there was a joke about a petrol powered dog, it really made me smile.  Laughter being the best medicine I thought I'd relate a couple of anecdotes that will hopefully have you ROFL.  (That's Rolling On Floor Laughing for those of you who don't speak Internet or Text.)

Mocha Fig Muffins

This is a recipe that I've been meaning to try, but for some reason never got around to it.  Mad really, as it looks delicious, perhaps one of you out there would like to give it a go and send me one?!

It's dairy and egg-free, I suspect you could swap out the flour to make it gluten free as required.

Quit day 11, and updates on dad and coping.

Early morning friends.

I am heading into day 11 of the big quit attempt and am doing well so far still, I didn't have a patch on yesterday and didn't use my nicotine spray at all, I had a few cravings but they soon passed if I occupied myself. I am determined to stick at it, and I feel I don't want the nicotine replacement if I can manage without it, as that is the point I want off nicotine, and 3 months of patches and sprays feels as though I not achieving what I aim to. I can have nicotine out of my body in two weeks if I do it myself, which has to be favourable to over 3 months!

Black-eyed pea dip

Running with my chilli theme, here's another dip that can be easily made and tastes delicious.  Whilst it's not vegan, it could easily be adapted.