…the snow that is:
Yep, that’s at least a foot of snow. What’s going on? I love a little bit of snow but this is crazy. There was no way my car was going any where today, I was going to try and bus it to work but my manager told me to just work from home and I certainly wasn’t going to argue with that! It is very beautiful out there though :-)
Breakfast was a lovely warm bowl of hot cereal made with water, oat milk, egg whites and brown rice syrup with pears, mixed dried fruit and nuts and maple syrup.
I also had a gingerbread coffee with oat milk, yum!
I decided that I would take a break for a couple of hours before lunch and have a walk to the shops for milk and eggs. I was surprised that the gym was still open on my way past so I popped in and did 45 mins of HIITs on the cross trainer, step machine and bike plus my abs and core exercises. That plus a 30 minute walk in 12 inches of snow gave me a hell of a workout!
At least I got to wear my new hat and scarf (from Next):
Totally mis matched clothing but warmth comes before fashion when its –5 outside!
For lunch I made a Pumpkin and Pearl Barley Risotto inspired by this recipe from the Scandi Foodie (love this blog!)
Roasted Pumpkin and Pearl Barley Risotto with Feta and Pine Nuts (makes 1 serving)
- 1/2 onion finely chopped (I used a couple of shallots)
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/2 cup of cooked pearl barley
- 1 cup of roasted pumpkin
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil (plus more for frying)
- Hot vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon of toasted pine nuts
- Approx 50g of feta cheese (I used organic, vegetarian)
Begin by blending the roasted pumpkin and olive oil in a food processor until pureed, then set aside. Fry the onion and garlic on a medium heat until transparent then add the cooked pearl barley. Add a little veg stock and simmer for a minute or so. Add the pumpkin puree to the pan with more veg stock – continue to add the veg stock until the risotto reaches your desired consistency. I left mine quite thick. Pour onto a plate or serving bowl and top with the toasted pine nuts and crumbled feta. Enjoy!
I served mine with some black kale and spring greens sautéed in 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil plus a little soy sauce. It was really tasty but if I was making this again I would actually skip the feta and mix in a good bit of nutritional yeast (or parmesan) for that strong cheesy taste instead. Still really delicious and easy to make!
I also had a Cookies and Cream Spiru-tein Shake in a bowl topped with cacao nibs.
Late afternoon I had a pumpkin spice cake bar plus a sliced pink lady apple.
Dinner was a bowl of Leek, Greens and White Bean Soup with some raw carrot sticks on the side followed by an orange.
I had a craving for raw veggies that I knew a couple of lovely raw organic carrots would satisfy.
So as of right now I have no idea how the rest of my week is going to plan out due to the weather. I’m a person who likes routines and some predictability so this is going to be tough. However, I may not like change, but I am highly adaptable when required! I guess I’ll just have to go with the flow, I’m mainly concerned about fitting in my workouts but as I have given myself lots of flexibility this month I don’t need to worry about sticking to a set training plan.
How do you cope when your normal routine gets turned upside down?
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey, quick question, where are you buying your kale, i cannot find any anywhere?? love the idea of adding coconut oil, thanks for that one. Your snow situ looks crazy, i am in London and none of the white stuff yet, just a tube strike, lovely! Great blog, fabulous and delicous recipes. Emily x
The snow is crazy here too bt not a foot deep, maybe 4-6 inches! I walk to work so no days off for me, couldn’t work from home either hehe, take a resident home for the day lol
p.s. love the hat and scarf combo, I’ve had some nutty outfits lately but warmth is everything!
I wish I could work from home, but until we get the kids all linked up via skype or whatever it wont happen! I do not want the snow to get here as I hate driving in the snow, and our school rarely shuts (often all the others schools are shut and we are open!).
Love the warm outfit too- you should see my on playground duty- I dont match but I try to stay warm!
A foot of snow?! That’s crazy! It’s SO hard for me to stay motivated when I can’t get out of the house, but I try to stick to a bit of a schedule with work and then sneak in a workout DVD so I can get moving a little
That snow is out of control! How in the world are you coping, I hope things clear up quick!
It looks like a winter wonderland. It is beautiful but causes so many problems. this is my first winter with my car and I’m not enjoying it one bit. I think younger brave for even trying to venture out in it!
Sorry that should be *you’re not younger! Stupid iPhone :)
Hi Emily – glad you like the blog! I have loads of difficulty finding kale, I usually get some in my organic veg box – sainsburys sells a big bag of chopped kale but I don’t like this as I prefer the whole leaves. They are selling bags of cavolo nero taste the difference at the moment and I’m pretty sure that waitrose may have something similar. Hope you find some!
Laura – it is good being able to work from home when its like this but as I said it really throws me off! Oh yes warmth is everything at the moment!
Maria – I think some mis matched outfits can look really cute – sometimes I just throw on loads of stuff with different patterns :-)
Madeline – thank god for workout DVD’s I usually do one on a tuesday anyway so that has helped. I know what you mean about trying to keep to some kind of schedule – that definitely helps.
Leashieloo – its weird, its so beautiful but so bloody inconvient at the same time! I’m just doing my best, as long as I have a shovel I’m good!
Jemma – haha – My iphone does that too! It is more difficult when you have a car, I don’t even know how much my bus fair would be!
The snow looks so bad! But…I love the picture of you all bundled up! :-)
No snow here…it’s just freezing! My routine was all up in the air when I first got here and it was disorientating to say the least especially when you have to deal in French all the time. It’s funny how quickly you adapt though…hopefully the snow won’t be around that long that you have to change your routine for a long period though! I hope it melts soon!!!
I was wondering whether you use egg whites from a carton? If so where do you buy this from? (I see on US-based blogs all the time but have never seen it in the UK!)
We haven’t gotten any snow yet, but your photos got me excited for it! I’m not going to wish for a white Christmas and jinx us… but it sure would be nice!