Saturday Shock! Liebster Award!

Saturday Shock! Liebster Award!

Liebster Award for Life Diet Health

OMGosh!!! I’m thrilled. I’m honoured. I’m so excited. I’m an award winner!!! Thank you so much to Andrea at The Healthy Secret Identity for nominating me! That was SO NOT what I was expecting when I checked my inbox from under my warm snuggly duvet this morning. It certainly brightened my day after having been woken up by my sons football manager phoning to say the away pitch was frozen solid so the match was cancelled! More time for cake making! 🙂  Anyway, there in my inbox was a Liebster award for me! After only 25 days of blogging I am sooo happy and grateful. Thank you ALL for reading, liking, commenting and following! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Thank you Beverley at One Vegan Day at a Time

The Liebster Award Rules

• Acknowledge and link back to the person who nominated you
• Answer the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated you
• Share 11 random facts about yourself
• Nominate 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers.
• Give your nominees 11 questions to answer on their blog when they post about the Liebster Award.

Andrea’s questions:

1. Coffee or Tea? If you ask most of my friends or family they will tell you I only drink coffee! A giant mug of the black stuff every morning to get me going. Maybe a soya cinnamon latte if I’m out or even at home if I’m feeling indulgent and want to use my lovely coffee machine. Hang on a minute… that was the old me lol! Now as I’m on a mission to kick my chronic illnesses into oblivion (no harm trying)! I only drink green tea! Green tea is full of antioxidants, B Vitamins, folate, tastes divine and also wakes me up in the morning! Any type is great as long as the bag isn’t left in too long which impairs the flavour and releases a bitter taste of tannins. Mint is lovely – ooo… gotta love fresh Moroccan mint tea (minus the sugar) or something light such as Jasmine.
2. Cat or Dog? I don’t have either at the minute but it’s always been a gorgeous reliable dog.
3. What is your favourite quote? A tricky one but at the minute the post-it in front of me reads “I know you don’t know how to do this, but what would you do if you did?” 🙂
4. What is your go-to comfort food? Old me – fresh bread still warm from the oven with blue cheese. New me – brown rice with some form of chick peas. 🙂
5. What did you have for breakfast today? Spiced Apple Buns (todays intended blog post which will now be posted tomorrow) with Berry Blast.
6. What book are you currently reading? Lol.. do you mean the two on my desk (WordPress for dummies & The Healing Foods), the one on my tablet (The Quinoa Cookbook), the one on my phone (Juicing for beginners), the one on the kitchen table (Chocolate-covered Katie), or the one next to my bed (Reclaim your Heart). Our house is full of books and I can often be found having a look for ideas to nudge me towards new creations for example; nobody told me kale was so good in juice 🙂 who would have thought flax and water could be used instead of egg 🙂  wordpress is simple can be easy to follow when you know how!?
7. Do you take your car to go to work or use public transport? Ah well although I’ve been driving for many years my health isn’t so great so my husband tends to drive me places. I tried the bus a few times but my mobility scooter kept getting stuck on the ramps! lol!
8. What was the last blog that you followed? At this minute the last blog I followed was SweetSaltyThoughts. Adriana loves cooking and has a fun and honest narrative to her blog, she also had a long distance relationship before marrying her man which I can relate to!
9. What is your favourite flower? I have to choose? I could tell you my Mums favourite flower (freesias) or my best friends favourite flower (roses) but mine? Aren’t all flowers just wonderful? I love sweet peas which my Dad always grows in abundance and lets us pick handfuls of. I love fuchsias as they are hardy and full of bright pink and purple. I love wild poppies as they are so vibrant and free. But I don’t like the smell of geraniums (sorry pretty looking flowers your smell makes me cringe).
10. What is your favourite season? I guess this would depend where you live! I love the spring as all the buds start appearing (our crocuses are popping up through the snow)! but the weather is much too cold for me! I love the crunch of fallen leaves and the reds, oranges, yellows that make up an Autumn glow. Winter would be amazing if we had snow here that didn’t turn to slush (despite the cold). I guess that leaves Summer 🙂 I love the warmth. I love eating outdoors. I love not thinking about whether to wear boots or shoes, warm coat or raincoat, brolly or not! and I love all the Vitamin D from the sunshine!
11. When is your birthday? At the beginning of summer 🙂 Another reason to love summer!

11 random facts about me

1. I’ve been vegetarian for over twenty years.
2. I have worked as a chef in a range of different sized companies.
3. I love creating and experimenting with my own recipes.
4. My fingers go completely dead (white then blue) in the cold (raynauds syndrome).
5. I love sitting in front of a roaring log fire.
6. I’m terrible at remembering names.
7. I love feeding the birds and watching them from the office… even if we only get pigeons, magpies and crows visiting!
8. I love studying and learning.
9. Books (especially food and health books) are one of my favourite things.
10. I have changed my religion once in my lifetime.
11. I find it near impossible to follow a recipe!

My nominees (in no particular order)!

This part was really difficult as most of the blogs I follow didn’t meet the criteria… but I had great fun visiting everyone’s blogs nonetheless!

1. Sweet Salty Thoughts
2. Vegan Miow
3. Cookies ‘n’ Kale
4. Runs on Oats
5. Transforming Life Now
6. Life Gone Vegan
7. Nourish Vegan Kitchen
8. Vegan Santa
9. Free From
10. Basil and Oil
11. Simply Sweetie Veggie

My 11 questions for you:

1. What made you decide to start blogging?
2. What’s your favourite meal?
3. Which five fresh items are always in your fridge?
4. If you could only choose one food to eat for a whole week what would it be?
5. What’s your best alternative / free-from / substitute food?
6. Juice or smoothie and why?
7. How does the food you cook change with the weather?
8. Is there a food which makes you ill?
9. Other than your phone, keys and purse, what else is in your bag?
10. What’s your ideal holiday destination?
11. What’s your number one tip for new bloggers?