With Cordelia Simpson
This month has flown by; I can’t quite believe we’re three months into 2024 now. I’ve talked a lot in interviews recently about my goal for this year being finding more balance, stopping the 24/7 cycle of chaos that we’ve lived in for almost a decade now. We needed that level of always-on craziness to get Deliciously Ella to where it is today, but as the business gets a little bigger and our team grows, it’s getting easier to find a moment of calm and I’m learning to embrace that versus my default of simply filling my days with more!
I’m always curious about recipes that start trending on social. Some of those recipes are great, others not so much. Recently everyone’s been making a speedy, 2 or 3 ingredient chocolate mousse. So, we gave it a try in our HQ test kitchen, comparing the different versions – using a coconut milk, silken tofu or yoghurt base and with/without coffee powder. The winner with 12 votes was coconut milk: it’s creamier and lighter, the taste was absolute brilliant, and I loved the coffee flavour. Tofu got 8 votes, and points for nutrition, but yoghurt got 0. The mousse takes five minutes, and you only need a tin of coconut milk, a bar of melted dark chocolate, a spoonful of coffee and maple syrup and a pinch of salt. The full video is on our Instagram but I 10/10 recommend. I’ve made it a few times and am planning a couple of variations too (I want to do a berry one for the kids this weekend).
My worst wellness habit recently has been drinking too much coffee and very little water. It had become a bit of a default; by midday I’ll have had three cups of coffee and no water. Unsurprisingly, I found myself dehydrated and a little jittery! I love the taste of coffee, but I wanted to break the habit, so I went cold turkey and gave up coffee for a little while. I’ve swapped coffee for matcha, which I am loving. I’d say matcha is a hit or miss, a good cup is delicious and a bad one tastes bitter and a little too much like grass! I’m a few weeks in and I have to say I’m feeling good, calmer, and more energised (and much less dehydrated!). I bought a matcha brand from a local farmers market but have got a few more mainstream brands to try and will report back on which I think is the best next month!
Ok, I know I always say you don’t need fancy gadgets and gizmos for wellness, and I stand by that. You can make nut milk very simply in a blender with a cheap straining bag, so this recommendation is anything but a must. I bought mine at the start of the month, having been curious about nut milk machines for a while now (and I get advertised them 24/7 on my IG). I can’t compare it to any others because I’ve not tried them, but I am loving having this at home. It makes the creamiest, most delicious plant milk in minutes, which is transformative time-wise but also makes for the best matcha. I use a blend of oats, cashews, dates, and hemp seeds with a pinch of salt.
I’m not a super fan but my goodness I loved her Eras Tour movie on Disney+. I watched it over two nights while I plugged away at my to-do list and a mountain of emails I needed to catch up on. It was a real feel-good watch. If you need a pick-me-up, definitely put it on. For more feel-good factor watching, I also loved the new rom com ‘Anyone But You’.
Talking of feel-good factors, a new piece of research this month highlighted that regular ‘mental exercise’, such as journaling, meditating, or expressing gratitude noticeably improve your mood and outlook leading to better mental wellbeing. One of the key takeaways was that mental exercise is akin to physical exercise. Just like you can’t go to the gym once and be fit forever, we need to continuously invest time in our mental health to reap the benefits. It’s not surprising in many ways, but I continuously find these studies good motivation to keep up my own daily(ish) practices because they do make the world of difference.
I’m currently obsessed with our original energy balls; I think I’ve had one every day this month. I love the simplicity of the ingredients and the ease of having one in my bag at all times (never want to get hangry!) We’re working on a new variation to sit alongside it and I’m so excited to tell you more soon.
This is the other thing I’ve been eating on repeat: piping hot butter beans in a spicy tomato sauce on sourdough with lots of olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. I’ve been doubling up the quantity too, so that I have leftovers for a 2-minute lunch later in the week too. This is a similar version to what I’ve been making, if you want fancy beans on toast too!
We’re giving the humble beans on toast a makeover with this hearty homemade version. This recipe wins hands down when it comes to flavour, texture and simplicity — a great brunch, lunch or weeknight dinner.
View RecipeI’ve always defaulted to yoga when it comes to exercise. I did my teacher training in 2018 and have always loved the sense of calm that yoga gives me and how much more flexible I feel afterwards - nothing beats a great stretch when you spend a lot of time at your desk. Since having kids though, I’ve noticed the need for a little more specific muscle strengthening, particularly in my core, and so I’ve started a regular(ish) Pilates practice, which I’m really enjoying. I’ve just been cycling through the hundreds of classes on our membership platform and really feeling my strength and posture getting better week by week (hooray!).
A lovely wellness practitioner I know introduced me to this CBD brand. I’ve not been sleeping that well (since becoming a mum I’ve become a very light sleeper and a busy head often means I then struggle to go back to sleep). So, I was keen to try her recommendation. I’ve been taking this CBD before bed coupled with some magnesium for the last six weeks, and it has really improved my quality of sleep, which in turn has been a game-changer for my energy levels.
As the mornings get lighter and warmer, I’ve found myself making overnight oats on repeat again. I love the ease, speed, and deliciousness! My current go to is a mix of oats, coconut yoghurt, oat milk, nut butter and chia seeds, adding fruit and extra nut butter in the morning. This recipe makes a great base for you to add your own flavours or toppings.
