coaching Archives | Rachael Phillips

Leftover turkey? Try this Turkey and Chorizo Paella

If you’re still mulling over what to do with that leftover turkey and you’re sick of the usual turkey curry or sandwiches, why not try this turkey and chorizo paella. It’s quick, easy and full of flavour.

Plus do you know what I love most about paella? It’s that there are no real rules when it comes to creating a good one. Sure you may think that paella has to be seafood based but in truth, you can bung anything in there – including left over veg (which is what makes it the perfect post Christmas dish).

So here is the recipe for my super quick turkey and chorizo paella.

This recipe serves 4

You will need:

Left over turkey (I used breast but you can use any part of the meat you enjoy and if it’s outside of christmas, I usually use about 500g for 4 people)
100g chorizo
15g flat leaf parsley
2 cloves of garlic
1 large onion
1 large red pepper
250g paella rice
115g frozen peas
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
500ml chicken stock
1 tsp of smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground turmeric

Method:

Peel and crush the garlic, crushing the garlic will give off a slightly sweeter flavour. Next roughly chop the chorizo and turkey breasts and add to a heated pan. You may want to add a bit of olive oil but I prefer to use the oils that are extracted from the chorizo when cooking. Next add the onion, pepper, garlic, parsley, paprika and turmeric and cook for a couple of minutes.

Next mix in the tomato puree with the chicken stock and add this to the pan along with the paella rice. Bring to the boil and add salt to taste.

Cook on a medium heat for around 15 minutes.

Add your frozen peas and cook for a further 10 minutes (or until the rice has absorbed the stock).

It’s really that simple.

Red Cabbage & Raspberry Smoothie

Best way to get your fruits and veggies in without a doubt is the humble smoothie. Not only is it a great way to get your 5 a day but also its QUICK so the perfect Busy Girl breakfast/lunch.

Anyway, I’ve been on a bit of a smoothie cleanse since the 2016 so I’ve been experimenting with a few different varieties and I’ve found a great combo – red cabbage and raspberry.

Seriously. It looks as amazing as it tastes.

Why Is Red Cabbage So Good?

Red cabbage is an amazing source of vitamin C and just 1 cup has 56% of the recommended daily intake. It also has vitamin A and K. It’s also a great source of L-glutamine which promotes digestive and brain health, muscle growth, athletic performance as well as helping to fight cancer and reducing high blood pressure.

Red Cabbage and Raspberry Smoothie – The Recipe – Makes One

1/2 cup of shredded red cabbage

1/2 a banana (frozen is best)

1/4 cup of raspberries

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 cup water

Ginger* (to taste)

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder (optional)

Just bung it in your blender and blitz. If it’s too thick for you, add more liquid.

Why you need Apple Cider Vinegar in your life!

Let me tell you about the first time that I tried ingesting Apple Cider Vinegar. I’d read all about it’s health benefits, what it was good for and how it would improve my life. So I decided to add it to my regime. I added my tablespoon of ACV to my glass of water and down the hatch it went. Except, I made the big mistake adding it to sparkling not still, so it was like drinking a pint of cider at 7.30am in the morning, not good. Of course, I like to think I learn from my mistakes so from now on, it’s still only!

Anyway, Apple Cider Vinegar and why you need it in your life.

I’m not going to bore you with a million details, just 4 GOOD reasons you need it in your life.

It can help you lose weight. It can help a few ways. First of all, acids help with the digestion of protein, the building blocks for some of our hormones, especially growth hormone.

Secondly, ACV contains pectin and pectin is what helps us feel fuller for longer. So 1 to 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar + 1 glass of water. Drink before meals 3 times a day.

Mix with water for a non-toxic, all purpose cleaner. Yep, time to put down that flash spray and mix one part acv with one part water for a cleaner that is a brilliant alternative to all those harsh chemicals in well known brands.

Get rid of skin tags or warts. Douse a cotton wool ball in apple cider vinegar and attach to the area, leave overnight and you’ll see a reduction. It may need a couple of “treatments” but you’ll soon find they disappear.

It can clear your sinuses. With winter setting in and colds starting to come out in force then you’ll need all the help you can get if you’re planning on avoiding the snuffles. So to breathe easier sip on water and acv throughout the day. It’ll stop bacteria growing in your sinuses and because it has a high potassium content, it’ll help easy the mucus (sorry) that’s in your nose.

Which Apple Cider Vinegar should you use?

To make sure that you get the full benefits, you need to buy raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar, preferably organic. The raw and unfiltered ACV contains the mother, a natural sediment with pectin, trace minerals, beneficial bacteria and enzymes, which will make it appear cloudy, not clear.

I buy Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar which varies from £4.99 to £5.50 a bottle on amazon and you should be able to find a good, raw one in your local health food shop.

I’ll be doing another post on Apple Cider Vinegar soon because seriously, the benefits are vast so I could write a whole book on it! Tell me, do you use Apple Cider Vinegar? And what for?

Health benefits of the top 10 essential oils

As you may have noticed via instagram, I’m starting to work with essential oils. I’ll be hosting some workshops on the run up to christmas so be sure to sign up to my newsletter for details.

So what are essential oils? Well, they are organic compounds that are extracted from the plants. They have so many uses, from relaxation to healing and can replace most modern medicine, especially when it comes to things like colds & flu, sore muscles, skin conditions and digestion problems.

But it’s SO important that you buy certified, pure therapeutic grade oils to see the true benefits. Not all essential oils are created equally. In fact, most of them are pointless and often synthetic. If you want to order or find out more about the brand I trust and personally use, email oils@rachaelphillips.me.

To get ONE 15ml bottle of lemon essential oils, it actually takes 45 lemons.

Since every essential oil has unique and healing benefits, I thought I’d run though 10 of the most popular essential oils and just some of the ways you can use them…

Ginger will improve your digestion, reduce inflammation and relieve nausea.

Sandalwood which is my absolute favourite, as I tell Tanya of Tanya’s Healthy Living, it just smells so grown up and will improve energy.

Lemon is one of the most popular essential oils, I’m not ashamed to say that I add a drop or two to my G&T’s (again, if you want to ingest essential oils they HAVE to be 100% therapeutic grade). But lemon doesn’t just taste amazing it also improves lymph drainage and cleanses the body. It’s a great oil to diffuse too if you want to get energised. Also, use lemon to replace many of your household cleaners – better for the environment and better for your health. Continue reading “Health benefits of the top 10 essential oils”

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

I LOVE avocado’s. They’re probably one of the most versatile fruits going (and yes, it’s a fruit)

One of the good things about avocado’s is that they make everything thick and creamy, so they are perfect for adding chocolate too for a luxurious dessert or even breakfast!

The other great thing about this recipe is how quick it is to make. Perfect if you don’t have the time to faff about.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding
Continue reading “Chocolate Avocado Pudding”

Why I include oils in my beauty regime

I’m going to be blogging a bit more about essential oils in the next few weeks/months (including running some online workshops on how to use essential oils, if you’re interested, sign up to my newsletter for details)

beauty,vintagead,1957,palmolive,seattletimes,soap-45cffee1139375d9e01d271e6bb58e5f_h-1 — *I love vintage beauty ads! Like this one from Palmolive in 1957*

But I just wanted to do a quick post on why I use oils when it comes to looking after my skin.

First of all, oil is a simple, clean ingredient and much like what we eat, the less processed our beauty products are, the better they are for us. My top tip is that if you see the word “fragranced” or “perfumed” then it’s been tinkered with. Stick to organic, cold pressed oils for the best results.

Secondly, and this is the most important of all, because so many people think that by using oils they’re going to have greasy skin – just like fat doesn’t make us fat, oil does not make us oily. Fact.

Continue reading “Why I include oils in my beauty regime”

5 Things to do in Wales this Autumn that are good for the planet

I love Autumn. And I think it’s the perfect time to get out and explore. And if you want to make your exploration footprint a little lighter, you’re in luck as here are 5 of my favourite things to do in Wales that are also, would you believe, eco friendly.

Take a walk along the Llandegfedd reservoir trail

If you’re a local and haven’t been to Llandegfedd for a while then you’ll be pretty surprised to see the changes. Back in the Easter they opened a new visitor’s centre and cafe as well as a new six and a half mile, scenic route around the reservoir. The circular trial will have walkers going through woodland, pasture, a conservation zone and a golf course, where you’ll see loads of wildlife and be treated to wonderful views over the reservoir. And don’t worry if you don’t fancy a six mile jaunt, you can just do parts of it as it links in to other footpaths along the way.

Take a trip to the Senedd (The National Assembly for Wales)

If you’re planning to head down to Cardiff Bay, then do stop in the Senedd whilst you’re there. It is one of the most environmentally friendly parliament buildings in the world and made from traditional Welsh materials such as slate and Welsh oak. You can go in and have a wander around, grab a cup of coffee and go to the public galleries where you can observe Plenary in the Siambr, which is the Assembly’s debating chamber.

Newport Wetlands

Continue reading “5 Things to do in Wales this Autumn that are good for the planet”

Are you a scanner? And how to cope if you are.

Here’s a post originally published in 2014 but I think that some people may find it a help…

So here’s a question for you, have you heard of the term “scanner” when it comes to describing someone’s personality?

No? But I’m sure that you’ve heard the variants such as multi-passionate and multi-potential which have become somewhat buzz words of late.

But the term scanner was coined by Barbara Sher who describes this personality type as:

“People who love to read and write, to fix and invent things, to design projects and businesses, to cook and sing, and to create the perfect dinner party. (You’ll notice I didn’t use the word “or,” because Scanners don’t love to do one thing or the other; they love them all.)”

Well, this is me down to a tee. I’m constantly digging, scheming and dreaming. I’ve known about this term for quite a while and you know what? I’ve learned to embraced it.

And I’m not alone!

I’ve had quite a few ~~careers~~ jobs in my young(isn) life (call centre agent, sales, talent agent, event planner, public relations, small business owner, journalist etc) AND alongside a vast range of interests and willingness to try new things has meant that I’ve often been branded unfocussed and scatty…

But as the New York based author says: “A scanner is GENETICALLY wired to be fanatically interested in multiple things at once.”

You hear that? It’s genetically wired.

But scanners have a major problem. We become bored and go off on tangents and we think it’s bad that we keep quitting things and moving on. Something which Sher thinks we should stop feeling bad about and instead start having fun with. We also tend to doubt ourselves because we fail to decide on just one career path which then leads to worrying that we could be getting it wrong which then leads to the frantic need to focus.

But before you start thinking that procrastination habit is OK, not everyone is a scanner. There are people who jump from idea to idea that do so because they actually can’t make up their mind about what they want to do or have other reasons for doing so. Continue reading “Are you a scanner? And how to cope if you are.”

5 Ways To Help You Quit Sugar (& a recipe)

Sugar has been on the health gurus hit list for quite a while.

Personally, I’m of the opinion that the odd sweet treat like a slice of cake or bar of chocolate will do you no harm, it’s just when that occasional treat becomes a daily habit. And for so many of us, it is a daily habit.

And even if you don’t think you have a sugar habit, you maybe surprised by how much sugar you’re actually consuming on a daily basis – but I’ll cover that in another post.

So if you’re planning on giving up sugar then here are 5 quick tips to help you eliminate excess sugar from your diet.

Use Spices. Continue reading “5 Ways To Help You Quit Sugar (& a recipe)”

5 things to do on a Friday for a better Monday

In my quest to be the ultimate productivity ninja, I regularly try out new ways of working. But one thing I’ve done for quite a while is make sure that I have a Friday ritual of planning for the week ahead.

Now, I know that you’re probably having a #FRIYAY moment so you don’t really want to be thinking about Monday morning, BUT I promise, the advice I’m about to give will help you enjoy the weekend more.

How you end the week seriously impacts on how you start the next week. So if you want to have a great weekend here is what you should do every Friday afternoon.

Give yourself credit for what you’ve done this week.
When you look at your to-do list and see a whole bunch of items that are yet to have the highlighter treatment then it can be disheartening. But look at what you HAVE achieved this week. By acknowledging what you HAVE achieved will give your happiness levels a boost and will spur you on to get back on track when Monday arrives.

Schedule your Monday to-do list on Friday.
Write your to-do list for Monday on Friday. By getting your to-do list done not only do you hit the ground running on Monday but you also give your brain a rest over the weekend as you’re not mulling over what needs to be done. Continue reading “5 things to do on a Friday for a better Monday”