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The Body Retreat

The Body Retreat

Women Only Weight Loss & Wellbeing Retreats

Year: 2018

Roasted Red Pepper with Vegetable Chilli

This Roasted Red Pepper Vegetable Chilli dish is packed with colourful vegetables and protein from the pulses and seeds. Not only does it look amazing it also tastes amazing, perfect for a Meatless Monday.

Serves 4
  • 4 whole Red Peppers
  • 1 large Brown Onion - diced into sml pieces
  • 1 stick Celery – diced into sml pieces
  • 1 clove Garlic -crushed
  • 100g Green lentils – cooked al dente
  • ½ sml Courgette – diced into sml pieces
  • 2 x 1" slices Aubergine – diced into sml pieces
  • ½ Carrot – diced into sml pieces
  • 1 can chopped Tomatoes
  • 1 tbs Tomato Puree
  • 1 tsp mild Chilli Powder
  • Pinch Chilli Flakes
  • Pinch Allspice
  • 1 can Red Kidney Beans
  • 1 pint Vegetable Bouillon
  • 1 sml Cauliflower head – grated
  • 1 tbsp Pumpkin Seeds
  • 1 tbsp Sunflower Seeds
  • Freshly ground Black Pepper

 

 

Method for our Vegetable Chilli

Cook the Green Lentils in boiling water until al dente.

Cut the lids off the Peppers and chop into sml pieces and reserve for the Chilli mix.

Deseed the Peppers and bake at 180oC for 15 min.

Sauté the Onion, Celery and Garlic for 8-10 min until soft.

Add the Green Lentils, Courgette, Aubergine, Carrot, chopped Pepper lids, can of Tomatoes, Tomato Puree, Chilli Powder, Chilli Flakes and Allspice to the sautéed onion mix.

Once all of the above is soft add the Red Kidney Beans and 1 pint of Vegetable Bouillon.

Cook for a further 15 min.

 

To Serve

Fill the roasted Peppers with Vegetable Chilli mix to the top and put back into the oven for 15 min at 180oC.

Meanwhile add the grated Cauliflower, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds and Ground Black Pepper into a dry frying pan. Cook until the Caulirice mix is just beginning to catch brown on the edges.

Serve the Pepper on a bed of ¼ of the Caulirice mix and top with an extra tbsp of chilli mix and fresh parsley.

 

 

Thinking of quitting Sugar …but waiting to get Easter out of the way??

First things first…we are not Sugar Haters here at The Body Retreat.

Sugar is a natural substance…we don’t hate sugar.

But we do think that the consumptions of sugars seems to have gone through the roof in recent years…we eat out more, we eat on the run more, we eat more refined processed foods.

How Do You Like To Enjoy Your Sugar

Sugar is meant to be enjoyed in moderation…there’s that unsexy word again…moderation!!!

It is true…if you want to enjoy a sweet treat, a slice of cake, a bar of chocolate, a pudding then do so…enjoy it guilt free.

But do you also want to be eating sugar when you are tucking into bacon and eggs, your chicken salad, your hummus and crudités?  Im guessing not.

This is the sugar we have an issue with at The Body Retreat…the hidden stuff.

Because hidden sugar is undermining your health and your waistline.

Do You Have A Sugar Habit?

You see sugar has a way of taking a hold of your tastebuds, of messing with your hormones of changing your brain chemistry meaning that you find yourself wanting more more more!!

You know when you have an issue with sugar because you cant get through a day without something sweet.  Your energy levels are out of balance and you rely on carbs and caffeine to get you through the day.  You find it easy to eat high amounts of very starchy foods and not feel full in the slightest.

Those of us (and I’m very much in this camp) who have a problem with sugar…know it.

But the real question is do we want to do something about it?

The answer seems to be “quitting sugar”…seems extreme doesn’t it!! Imagine life with no sweetness in it…YIKES.

No wine, no almond croissants, no Malteesers, no choccie bicckies…. ok i admit it this is actually my list of treats that I enjoy.

Nothing wrong with enjoying a sweet treat in moderation…in fact I’d argue that it is good for you.

But what happens when you cant stop at just one slice, one glass, one packet.

What happens when your energy levels are on the floor all afternoon.

What happens when you find yourself craving sweet stuff …all …the …time!!

Does that mean going cold turkey???

`Yes ….and NO.

The Body Retreat Approach To Quitting Sugar

Let me explain….

If you want to regain a sense of control over sugar in all its forms then you do need to recalibrate your tastebuds, reset your hormones and appetite and rebalance your blood sugar levels… and the easiest way to do this is to go cold turkey.  For a fixed period… and then gradually reintroduce natural sugars so that you can maintain a sense of control.

So regaining control from sugar isn’t about cold turkey for life… its about enjoying the sweet stuff in life in a balanced way.

Imagine Enjoying Easter ..Guilt Free not Chocolate Free

Easter is just around the corner and for many sugar addicts this is heaven, as just like Christmas this is time for feasting…I mean really Easter is all about the food right?  I mean easter eggs…yum!  Or in my case Teaser bunnies = double yum!!

But don’t use these seasonal holidays and the associated treats as an excuse to overindulge, don’t use it is as a reason to not address your Sugar habit right now.

Imagine looking forward to enjoying time with family and friends this Easter, but without guilt, shame, recriminations. Eating some chocolate feeling free from the desire to over consume. Not putting on any weight at all over the holiday.

Join us on our next Sugar Detox Retreat starting Monday 19th March and after one week you will feel ready to face Easter feeling balanced, motivated and in control.

Sound good?…get in touch now for our last remaining places.

Quitting sugar can be tough…but we can make it better.  Giving you short term gain with long lasting results.  You see the thing is that for us quitting sugar is means to an end… getting you past current behaviours and habits that are holding you stuck and into a new mindset where sugar is not your guilty secret, but something you can enjoy in moderation.

 

How Stressed Are You?

How Stressed Are You?

Admitting that you are stressed is not admitting weakness or failure… in fact it shows mental and emotional strength that you can be honest with yourself and if you need it,. seek help.

Stress develops when you have more pressure on you than feel you are able to handle. Stress is part of everyday life. By itself, stress is not necessarily bad or harmful. In fact, some stress may be necessary to help get you motivated and mobilized. High levels of stress over a long period can be seriously bad for our health. It’s when stress turns into distress that you can begin to really suffer.

So, how stressed are you?  Test Your Stress Levels with our quick quiz.

Take a few minutes to really consider the following questions and answer truthfully.

  1. Is your energy level lower than usual?
  2. Do you feel guilty when relaxing?
  3. Do you have a persistent need to achieve?
  4. Are you unclear about your goals or purpose in life?
  5. Are you very competitive?
  6. Do you feel you work harder than most people?
  7. Do you anger easily?
  8. Do you often try to do 2/3 tasks at the same time?
  9. Do you get impatient if people or things hold you up?
  10. Do you have difficulty sleeping?
  11. Do you find it difficult to switch off?
  12. Do you rely on coffee, sugar or other stimulants to keep going through the day?
  13. Do you eat on the run as you don’t have time to stop and eat?
  14. Have you lost interest in many aspects of life?
  15. Do you feel anxious and nervous a lot?

 

If you answer yes to more than 5 of the questions above then it may be that you are experiencing a period of high stress.

You can’t completely eliminate stress from your life, but you can control how much it affects you.

Improving your ability to handle stress

The food you eat can improve or worsen your ability to cope with life’s stressors. Eating a diet full of processed and convenience food, refined carbohydrates, and sugary snacks can worsen symptoms of stress while eating a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, high-quality protein, and omega-3 fatty acids, can help you better cope with life’s ups and downs.

Upping your activity level is something you can do right now to help relieve stress and start to feel better. Regular exercise can lift your mood and allow you to break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that can feed negative stress.

Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and even simply deep breathing activate the body’s relaxation response, a state of restfulness that is the polar opposite of the stress response.

Sometimes you find yourself so deeply in the vicious cycle of stress that it seems hard to help yourself.  When you feel that you cant move forward.  If this is you and you ready to break free of the negative impact of stress, to regain a sense of control,  reclaim a good night’s sleep and feel a sense of balance and calm then do get in touch.  Our Stress Reset Retreat has been supporting busy professional women just like you for 5 years now and we are confident that we can help you to overcome stress.

 

Red Lentil Curry

It’s Meat Free Monday.

This is the first Meat Free Monday Recipe.

We have committed that every Monday on every Retreat will now be Meat Free Monday.

I’m excited myself to eat more plant protein.  However, that is my biggest disappointment when I read vegetarian recipes…the lack of protein.  Too often they are just veggies and/or grains.  I want to eat protein every day, it is the building blocks for cell health not to mention it helps to fill me up.

So I’m a woman on a mission to find and make Meat Free Monday recipes that are plant protein based.

Today it’s Red Lentil Curry.

 

In addition to being Meat Free this recipe is also Fodmap Friendly.

Meat Free Monday Recipe - RED LENTIL CURRY
Serves 4
  • 1/2 tsp Coconut Oil
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Oil
  • 1 Large Carrot, cubed
  • 1 Sml Sweet Potato, cubed
  • 1/2 Medium Butternut Squash, cubed
  • 1 cup of dried Red Lentils
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Tumeric
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
  • 1 tsp Garam Marsala
  • 1/2 can full fat Coconut Milk
  • 2 Cups Veg Boullion
  • 2 Plum Tomatoes, chopped (tinned is fine)
  • 3 Scallion Tops (green part) chopped

To make today’s Meat Free Monday Recipe Red Lentil Curry couldn’t be easier.

It might seem at first glance as though there are a lot of ingredients but I promise you once you have done a bit of peeling and chopping then the actual cooking of the dish is super simple.

To make our Red Lentil Curry:

Heat the coconut and garlic oils in a large heavy-based pot over a medium-high heat.  Add the chopped carrot and sweet potato and cook for about 5 minutes until just beginning to soften.  Next add the butternut squash, the lentils, the coconut milk, tomatoes, stock and spices.  Mix thoroughly and turn down the heat to a gentle simmer.  Cook on this low heat for about 20 minutes, giving the occasional stir. Then add the chopped scallion tops and take off the heat.  Leave to one side until you are ready to serve.

I served my Red Lentil Curry with some Coconut Rice and Chopped Hazelnuts and Toasted Coconut.

Let me know how you enjoyed our Meat Free Monday recipe.  Leave me a quick comment below.

(IF YOU ARE NOT FOLLOWING A FODMAP PLAN THEN YOU CAN SIMPLY REPLACE THE GARLIC OIL WITH A CLOVE OF CRUSHED GARLIC AND THE SCALLION TOPS WITH A MEDIUM BROWN ONION BOTH OF WHICH YOU WOULD ADD AT THE BEGINNING OF THE COOKING WITH THE CARROT.)

Click Here to read more about Meat Free Monday.

Exciting New Partnership

Announcing Claudia Fallah Skincare Partnership with The Body Retreat

Here at The Body Retreat we are committed in our mission to support busy professional women reclaim control of all aspects of their health and wellbeing.

We strive to develop and deliver the very best residential health retreats for women in the market. We have designed retreats that are not only effective in the short term but that provide our retreaters with the experience, skills and resources that set them up for long term health and wellness and in the 6 years since we started we have constantly evolved and improved our products and services year after year.

So we are delighted to announce a new partnership with award winning Claudia Fallah Skincare to provide our retreaters with exceptional skincare treatments at all Body Retreats from January 2018.

Known for her dedication to excellence Claudia Fallah is an industry leader in corrective and preventative skincare. She has created gentle and potent cosmeceutical formulations using her bio-dynamic approach of using what nature supplies, which filled the gap between the beauty counter and invasive treatments.

With a personal promise to ‘Restore & Maintain Skin Confidence’ from Claudia herself, Claudia Fallah is a brand committed to providing high quality skincare products and treatments that are the perfect fit for women do not have time for complicated beauty routines.

With a commitment to both efficacy and ethics Claudia Fallah products are a blend of the best that nature offers supported by the appliance of science and none of the products is tested on animals, so it is clear to see just what a good fit Claudia Fallah is for The Body Retreat and why we are so excited to have secured this new partnership.

We will be launching Claudia Fallah Signature Facials at our upcoming Sugar Detox Retreat. This is the perfect opportunity to highlight the relationship between the food that we eat the health of our largest organ…our skin.

Claudia Fallah herself will be joining us on retreat this January to treat our first lucky Sugar Detox Retreaters to their Claudia Fallah Signature Facials. Going forward Claudia Fallah Signature Facials will be available on all Body Retreats.

We are confident that this new exciting partnership, which brings together tremendous beauty and health experience and expertise will help develop a new level of service for our retreaters.