I am feeling just a little bit pleased with myself this Sunday evening.  I ate very well this weekend and apart from some salted nuts, very healthily and I did loads of exercise.  Plus I tried my first ever Kombucha brew and claim it to be a great success.

I popped to the local supermarket first thing on Saturday to stock up on some fresh fruits and veggies.I was walking with the Hastings Greenway group during the morning and so I made a citrus fruit juice for breakfast and to drink along the walk.  I juiced 4 oranges, 1 ruby grapefruit and 1 lime.I enjoyed a small glass at home and took the rest on the walk.My sister Abi came for lunch and I made her the guacamole salad I had discovered in the week, with a green salad with sprouts and sweet and white potatoes, which I chopped up in to small cubes and roasted with no added oil.  I just seasoned with salt and pepper and flavoured with fresh thyme.  I love meals like this.  So nutritious and delicious; talk about a win win.In the afternoon we took Milton to the beach which we all love.  We may have had a long walk in the morning but he hadn’t so more walking.  It meant I walked 17,000 steps so I was pleased with that.We had a really easy supper in front of the telly.  I made ‘My New Roots’ Four Corners Soup which is fabulous.  So apart from one beer and a bowl of salted nuts, I didn’t eat too much but I did fit in a lot of walking on Saturday.

You can find this recipe online and in my blog.  Make it because it tastes amazing.This morning (Sunday) I was on a mission to get the bike out.  Apart from a cycle last summer, I have not ridden my bike regularly for years and I intend to change that in Hastings.  I had my usual mug of hot water with some ginger, lime and apple cider vinegar and set off.  Harvey kindly came with me.  I am not sure what he was expecting but he was quite impressed with his Mother’s efforts as was I !  We cycled and Abi ran, in the gorgeous sunshine.It wasn’t far (about 7 miles) but it was a good start.  We cycled from home to the Bexhill side of St.Leonard’s, mainly along the promenade which is lovely to cycle along.  I hope to do this cycle weekly.After our bike ride we took Milton to the beach and timed it for low tide so we could walk along the sand.

Happy boy, happy dog and happy me.

I ate an apple and banana for breakfast and then tried my kombucha.Kombucha is a fermented drink which is meant to beneficial for health.  The Chinese have been drinking it for 2,000 years and claim it helps inflammatory ailments such as arthritis and wards off cancer.  It is also claimed to help gut health (e.g. to help irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhoea and food allergies), relieve stress, help liver function and give you more energy.

I made mine of 24th January which was 3 and a half weeks ago.  I could have tried it sooner but somehow lost track of time.  I made 1 litre of black tea and added 1/4 cup of sugar and a scoby.A scoby is a ‘symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast’.  I was given mine by a member of Hastings Fermentory, a group of fermenting enthusiasts.  You drop the scabby in to your cooled down tea and sugar  solution and hope for the best!The scoby I was given sank but it provided sufficient bacteria and  yeast to grow a new one on the surface of my large jar.  It’s like a lump of jelly.The kombucha is slightly fizzy and tastes a bit sour and a bit vinegary.  I liked it but Abi and Harvey gave it a big thumbs down.  I am used to drinking vinegar in the morning so found it easy to tolerate.  I have brewed another batch, this time of 2 litres and I have put the 2 old scobys and some of this batch in the brew to get it going.After the excitement of the boocha,  we walked in to the Old  Town to have lunch in The Stag.The Stag, on All Saints Street, does a vegan roast !!!!  A proper vegan roast.  It was fantastic.  I had a nut roast on a bed of cabbage with roast potatoes and parsnips with a generous portion of carrots, broccoli and cauliflower on the side.  I loved every mouthful and because we had a late booking I was starving by the time our food came at about 3:30 so it perhaps tasted even better.  I had a half a pint of Whitstable Pale Ale with mine.We walked back after the main course rather than eat dessert in there.  I had a smoothie at home for supper about 3 hours later.  I had a large glass of frozen banana blended with blueberries, raspberries and almond yogurt and topped with Andean superberries and goji berries.

I walked over 15,000 steps and cycled 7 miles today and didn’t overeat so I was pleased with my efforts.  I really enjoyed the bike ride and was pleased with the kombucha.  I am delighted to have discovered a vegan roast at The Stag too.