Eating to Live with a Badly Behaved Brain.
I attended a wonderful Understanding Psychological Distress course at my local Recovery College a few weeks ago. A good portion of the course was how to deal with periods of psychological crisis without self-harming or using behaviours that can become maladaptive like alcohol, drugs or […]
I have never been able to convince either my husband or my youngest son that chickpeas are a bone fide edible foodstuff. My eldest son, however, will devour a tub of hummus from the fridge with crackers, veggies, crisps – whatever lays to hand, before […]
Frittata his is one of my favourite breakfasts, but I also am happy to have it for lunch or even dinner. Spinach and mushroom is one of my favourite additions, but I have often changed and added other ingredients too. Fried, softened onions or slices of cooked potato are great additions as are a handful of frozen peas (just put the frozen peas into a bowl and pour on boiling water, leave for 5 minutes for the peas to defrost and then use them in your frittata. Easy peasy!) You can add chopped, fried bacon or pancetta or any sort of cheese you have to hand. Feel free to experiment!
The benefits of this recipe is that it is quick, easy and nutritious. The mushrooms are a good source of tryptophan, which helps promote good sleep. Spinach is high in Folates and vitamin B6, which can help improve short term memory and mental ability. This was important to me as I was having a lot of difficulty with memory recall and short-term memory.
A note on finishing the Frittata off – traditionally this was cooked in a cast iron skillet or a pan with a cast iron handle, so you could just pop the whole thing in an oven or under a grill to finish off cooking the top of the frittata. I have never possessed a skillet and even my pans though cast iron have wooden handles – so I use the tried and tested method of putting a large dinner plate on top of the pan when you are ready to flip it over. Then holding the plate tight against the pan flip both over so the plate is on the bottom and the pan is upside down on top. Then remove the pan and slide the frittata off the plate back into the pan and continue to cook the was top now bottom of your pan until there is no longer any liquid egg.
Any leftovers are also lovely served at room temperature or can be reheated on a baking tray in the oven.
4 eggs
half a cup mature cheddar cheese (low-fat if wished), grated
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp olive oil
1 and a half cups fresh spinach
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
Break the eggs into a small bowl and whisk with a fork until combined. Add the salt and pepper and the cheese and mix together. Put the olive oil in a large frying pan. Heat the oil and then add the spinach and mushrooms to the pan. Saute the vegetables for about 2 minutes. Add the egg mixture to the skillet and stir to combine the vegetables and cheese with the eggs. Cook on the stove for another two minutes until the eggs begin to set.
Put a large dinner plate on top of the pan when you are ready to flip it over. Then holding the plate tight against the pan flip both over so the plate is on the bottom and the pan is upside down on top. Then remove the pan and slide the frittata off the plate back into the pan and continue to cook the was top now bottom of your pan until there is no longer any liquid egg.
Image by Dana Matei via Unsplash.
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Oily fish such as mackerel is one of the best sources of Omega 3, which is essential for the brain to produce serotonin. This recipe is a quick and easy way to make smoked mackerel pate and give yourself an Omega 3 boost.
The lemon juice adds a kick and provides a little vitamin C. It can be enjoyed with crackers, crusty bread or toast and a green salad for lunch or as a dip with veggie crudites for a snack.
The pate is best eaten the same day whilst fresh but it can be stored overnight in a sealed airtight container in the fridge if necessary.
2 smoked mackerel fillets, skinned and boned
1 180g tub of full-fat soft cheese
Half a teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice – fresh or bottled
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Flake the mackerel into a bowl. Add all the other ingredients. Blitz until smooth with a hand blender. Serve!
Image by Erica Leong via Unsplash.
This is one of those dishes where you get a bit of what you fancy with a lot of goodness as well. Pork is a good source of vitamins B6 and B12 which can help calm and maintain a healthy nervous system.
I can find mornings particularly difficult to deal with. First thing my brain often has some cognitive functioning issues and it can take a couple of hours to improve. This is very inconvenient as I have two children who need packed lunches and breakfasts making […]