VEGANUARY CHALLENGE WEEK THREE

Week three and I’ve been hit with the office lurgy.

*coughs*

Trying to remember what little I ate has proven rather difficult (I blame the constant state of drowsiness!), but I do remember there being a lot of soup – root vegetable, red pepper and lentil, minted pea and a chipotle three bean stew that helped clear the sinuses!

*coughs again*

A usual bout of sickness would have had me turning to a packet of tablets to ease the dull ache (many flu capsules, Lemsip for example, aren’t veggie friendly, so read those labels!) but since starting the challenge I’ve taken a far more natural approach to my health. Out with the ingredient names I can’t pronounce and in with natural remedies; ginger, lemon and turmeric shots every morning (if you can’t juice your own try Moju cold-pressed boosters) and steam breathing with essential oils (I’ve been using doTerra eucalyptus).

While my appetite has taken a nose dive I’ve not been cooking as much as usual, but I have been focusing on pampering my body, trying to get it to recuperate quicker. When I took on the challenge, I imagined it would only be my diet that had to change, but I’ve sadly noticed how many of my beauty products were, uncomfortably, not-so ethical. It’s a slow change, but I think if I introduce a new product every month to my routine, I’ll be on my way to fulfilling my quest for ethical beauty. From make-up to bubble baths, shampoo to moisturiser, it seems the industry - and us consumers - are slowly waking up to need for 100% cruelty-free ingredients. I’ll be writing a blog in the coming weeks to champion all the ethical beauty brands that I’ve come across, so stay tuned.

VEGANUARY HIGHLIGHTS – WEEK THREE

Lush bombs – making my long soaks in the tub a little more colourful and cruelty free.

Biona for their tins of organic beans and lentils – the aduki and black beans helped create that tasty bean stew.

Merchant Gourmet – the newly designed range of ready-to-heat pouches are a lifesaver for fast, lazy dinners. When my taste buds returned I used the super seeds with quinoa and chia pouch for the base of a warm salad, tossed with roasted butternut squash, rocket leaves, black olives and sun-dried tomatoes. A simple dressing of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic and salt and pepper sealed the deal. My appetite is back!

Linwoods – I’ve been a sprinkler of the organic milled flaxseed for a while (makes a great egg replacement in vegan baking, too) but the new packs of super seed Snackettes were a welcome addition to my 3pm snacking habit – great dipped in hummus or guacamole.

Onto the final stretch! If you're joining in the challenge or want to follow my journey, you can find me on social media at @rae_soph on Twitter and Instagram.