Widow’s superfood (or: easy self-care for widows, part 1)

For quite some time after David died I lost all interest in cooking and to a large extent even eating. Everything was too much effort. I remember how my grown-up daughter – who had rebelled so much against any healthy eating regime as a teenager, and who’d only grudgingly eaten the carrots and apples in her primary school lunch box when everybody else had crisps – was desperate to get some vitamins into me.

Cooking nice food is about caring and nurturing…in the far too short time we’d had together I had been cooking for David and myself, usually while he was building the fire in the fireplace for later, or chatting to me in the kitchen…without him there, why bother? I couldn’t even stand the thought of preparing a proper meal. For months and months my evening meals consisted of oven chips with ketchup or pizza (ready made from the freezer), with the occasional baked potato as the healthy highlight.

But then, gradually, a little sensible voice – survival instinct? – made itself heard and reminded me that I couldn’t go on like that. But I still didn’t feel like preparing or eating vegetables and the like. So….I decided to DRINK the fruit and veg instead! Buying a cheap and simple smoothie maker was one of the best decisions ever. Because I’m lazy I got one of those where the container you blend things in can also be used as a large, liquid-tight cup. Means less washing up… I love it and use it every day! Drinking the goodness also makes it easier to justify the frequent chocolate intake…

I want to share the recipe of the superfood magic drink I mixed today. The result may not have the most appealing colour, but it tasted yummy! Do you have a recipe you’d like to share below? Please do!

Here you go (quantities depend on the size of the blending jug – mine produces around 2 1/2 medium sized glasses):

1/2 banana
1/2 avocado
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Handful of spinach
1/2 handful of blueberries
1/2 tsp of ground turmeric
1 tsp of linseed
A bit of fresh ginger
Top up with coconut water
(you can add a little honey if you like)

Voilá!