October Favourites
A little of what I was loving in October
HEALTHY
Loving Earth Raw Chocolate
I don’t eat chocolate too often these days (I like it, it unfortunately doesn’t like me much). I can seem to get away with a little taster here and there but if I have too much or too often, my stomach will let me know! When I do indulge, I like to get a really good quality chocolate and it’s best I don’t get a big bar (too much temptation). So when I saw fun sized bites of new-to-Ireland Loving Earth Raw Chocolate I indulged!!! While their website shows an amazing array of flavours (mint, salted caramel, lemon cheesecake, mandarin to name a few), there seem to be limited lines on offer so far here. I opted for the Creamy Coconut Mylk Chocolate which was indeed creamy which can sometimes be missing from raw chocolates. There are very few ingredients too which I love – Certified Organic Raw Cacao (47%), Organic Coconut and sweetened with a little Organic Evaporated Coconut Nectar – that’s it!
Squash
There is an abundance of squashes this time of year from pumpkin to kabocha to spaghetti squash and more. While normally I opt for butternut squash, I’m going to try as many varieties of squashes while they are in season and available. The health benefits range from improving the quality of your sight, boosting skin health and strengthening the immune system to protecting heart health, preventing inflammatory conditions and reducing blood pressure and many others.
I usually cook them in my slow cooker overnight (with skin still on) and scoop out the flesh once cooked. This may work better on some varieties over others. After spending €10 on a small spaghetti squash in Fallon & Byrne and cooking it in the slow cooker I was a little disappointed with the outcome. Maybe it would have been better to cook it in the oven but with that price, it won’t be something I’ll be trying this year.
HAPPY
Coldplay
Something that made me super happy in October was getting tickets to see Coldplay next summer. It’s been said we get a big boost of happiness from experiences and not only will the concert itself be great the run up will actually give me a boost too – the anticipation, listening to their albums etc.
Autumn colours
I love this time of year….. the colours of the trees turning can be absolutely stunning! Has been making me happy anyway!
GLOW
Ren Lip Balm
With the colder weather and the increase in use of central heating etc. my lips tend to get dry. I’ve been loving Ren Vita Mineral Lip Balm. Void of a lot of nasty ingredients, it’s rich and creamy and lasts ages! Big thumbs up.
A Healthy Happy Glow 