This is my second blog post looking at the use of the Soundsory listening and exercise programme. This is day 4 of a 40 day programme. The past three days have been interesting. It has different music for daily listening session and for the exercises.
The music is invigorating and I have felt a little over-stimulated at times. Having said that I feel more alert and have got more done each day. I am finding the exercises fine to do and I can see how my motor planning is improving. It is only 30 minutes so it’s not a huge time commitment each day.
I will do a weekly blog on this from now on. I will measure how much it mitigates my dyspraxia; my initial feelings are positive because at least I am successful with new motor plans.
This recipe is adapted from an original recipe on wholesomeyum
There are only 4 ingredients:
1 cup of solid extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup of coconut crystals*
1/4 cup of organic cacao powder **
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/8 tsp Sea salt
The original recipe used a 1/4 cup of *erythritol and the same of **cocoa. I chose to substitute coconut crystals as I don’t like the after-taste of erythritol and I like the health benefits of cacao.
Line a container with parchment paper hanging over the edge; this is to help get it out when set. The recipe said a 28 oz rectangular glass container; i used a 7 inch square which I think was a bit big as I would have liked the fudge thicker.
Use a hand mixer on low speed, beat the solid coconut oil and sweetener together, just until combined and fluffy. Beat in the cacao powder, vanilla and sea salt to taste. Do not overmix.
Put the mix in the lined container. Smooth the top with a spoon or spatula.
Place the fudge in the fridge for approx. 60 minutes until solid. Sprinkle the top of the fudge with sea salt flakes.
Run a knife along the edge and the block of fudge out using the edges of the parchment paper. When cutting the fudge use a large chef’s knife and cut in a straight down motion; it will crumble if you use a sawing motion.
Store in the fridge as it starts to soften quickly. You can freeze it too.
Variations: add chopped nuts; walnuts are popular. I am going to try it with freeze-dried raspberries.
It was delicious; I sat and ate it with family. Coconut oil makes me feel good!
I was putting together a roast chicken dinner and decided that roast potatoes, carrots and gravy seemed bland. Time to try some new side dishes. I cooked enough for 3 people.
I am not a lover of brussels sprouts so I thought I would toss them in a little avocado oil, add some freshly ground black pepper and throw in some finely chopped smoked bacon, The oven was pre-heated to 200 degrees C. Every 10 minutes, I took the roasting tin out and shook the sprouts up. I cooked these on the middle shelf.
I had some organic white potatoes with unblemished skin which is rare for this time of the year. Baked potatoes are nice but I wanted something with a little more moisture as chicken can be dry. I scrubbed 5 medium potatoes and then cut into quarters and steamed them for 10 minutes. I chopped the potatoes into single bite pieces, drizzled a little avocado oil over them in the roasting tin; not too much. I seasoned with seasalt, ground black pepper and onion powder. They joined the sprouts in the oven on the top shelf. I tossed them regularly to ensure even browning.
Both side dishes took approx. 20-25 minutes. It’s important to check them.
I am converted to sprouts cooked this way as they had some caramelised areas and the contrast of the crisp bacon added flavour. The potatoes were reminiscent of the side dish you can get in American breakfast diners but with a more subtle flavour and healthy fat. I was hoping there would be some left over to have with scrambled eggs for breakfast but everything was eaten.
I would use larger sprouts next time as the ones I used were small; these could be halved so the cut edges would caramelise more.
Marks and Spencer’s gluten-free products are good overall. Their bread and sandwiches are excellent. They have made an effort to remove gluten from most of their sausages and they now need to increase the range of products that are both gluten- and dairy-free.
Recently, my favourite place for a snack is their cafe. The range of gluten-free sandwiches include egg and watercress, chicken and bacon, turkey feast which are also dairy-free. A sandwich with a bowl of their chips plus a cappucino made with soya/almond milk is great. The only issue is the availability of the products in the cafe but that’s typical of most places. Overall I would rate them as 4 stars as at least I can get a meal. They could go further.
I have a broad range of exercises and training in my programme focused on strengthening my body. Today I started a new type of activity called Soundsory which is a sound-based intervention embedded in a proprietary headphone equipped with bone conduction to develop sensory integration and establish core foundations.
The specific rhythmical music is electronically processed to stimulate body movement and the attention mechanisms in the brain. Each day involves 25 minutes of modified music and 5 minutes of movement exercises to music.
The listening part was great and very relaxing; the music was stimulating and I found nothing adverse. I remember doing listening therapy for my dyspraxia as a child and feeling hyper after it. The exercises to the electronically processed music were enjoyable and I soon managed the movements; that surprised me as motor planning is not my strong point. Over the years, I have done Tai Chi, yoga and now have a trainer but today I could see that I have made progress. I look forward to making more progress and will update my blog regularly.
essentialonion 