An honest, imperfect, twin birth story

I was hesitant about writing this – and even more so about sharing it. There is so much made of having a positive birth, of the ‘Golden Hour’, of colostrum and birth plans, pain-free/pain-less births, transformative births… that the idea of sharing something less than perfect is really quite intimidating. However, I’ve always found that writing down things like this can be quite cathartic so, I have.

And I think, at nearly four months postpartum, I’m finally ready to share it and, hopefully, open a discussion about less than perfect birth stories.

As a quickly pour homemade muesli into a bowl these days, I have a memory, almost a distant one now, of getting up in the morning, mooching downstairs and dallying over what to have for breakfast. Labouring over vegan pancakes, drizzling over warm, runny, peanut butter or tahini. Artfully placing berries on the plate and serving it up with fresh coffee and juice for my husband and me.

Hello from baby-land! It’s a busy place, but I so want to get back to sharing with you all again. This mango chia oatmeal is one that I came up with at the tail end of last summer, and I just remembered about it this week. Since it’s been so beautifully hot here in England lately, I thought it was fate, and definitely, time to share this fruity, summery vegan breakfast dish of mango chia oatmeal.

I think Spring weather is trying to break through, but just not very hard. Today, it’s quite lovely outside – blue skies, no bitter wind etc. But snow is forecast later in the week?! What. I don’t remember a March ever being so cold, and I don’t appreciate it this year either because my winter coat stopped doing up sometime around the end of February. My solution? Cook warm, comforting foods like this vegan chickpea, leek & mushroom pie and hope that summer will magically appear. Early.

If you ask my OH what his ideal dinner is, there’s a 50/50 chance that he’ll say lasagne (the other option, by the way, is ‘pie’). There was a time when I didn’t really agree – shock horror – and while it’s still not my go-to dinner request, it’s definitely moved up the rankings. And it’s all thanks to sussing this easy vegan lentil lasagne recipe.

Well, things have certainly been quiet around here, haven’t they? Practically tumbleweed since December! I thought it was time I came clean as to my whereabouts for the past few months and share all the big, exciting news that I promised.
I wish I could say I’d been working on a cookbook deal or a TV segment… but I can’t. That would be so amazing but alas, no. My big news is far more… domestic.

Who loves pizza? Luci loves pizza. If you saw ‘Kenan and Kel’ way back when on Nickelodeon just replace ‘pizza’ with ‘orange soda’ and you’ve got the tone I said that with. Pizza is so… satisfying to eat, don’t you think? A freshly baked bread base, lashing of vegetables on top… yum.

Stumped about what to buy your vegan friend for Christmas? Or just wanting to get something a little different for a family member? Whatever the reason, looking for gifts at this time of year is usually overwhelming – for me at least. I end up trawling through countless websites, getting decision paralysis, and not buying anything. Sound familiar? I’ve rounded up some vegan-friendly gifts to make finding something, hopefully, that little bit easier.

Chocolate and alcohol – two words that seem to be synonymous with Christmas, these days. A bit of extra chocolate, an extra drink after dinner or a hot mulled wine on the weekend… it’s a wonderful time of year for indulgences. And that’s where these vegan Baileys brownies come in: an indulgent, perfect combination of chocolate and alcohol in one delectable snack.

An honest, imperfect, twin birth story

Homemade Peanut & Banana Healthy Muesli (vegan)

Layered Mango Oatmeal & Chia Pudding (gluten free, vegan)

Vegan Chickpea, Leek and Mushroom Pie

Foolproof Vegan Lentil Lasagne

Where have I been?

Travelling Foodie Review: Vegan food at Pizza Hut (Manchester)

Christmas Gift Ideas for Vegans (2017)

Vegan Baileys Brownies