A May full of magic!

1st May 2016

You were born an original - don't die a copy!

Well I've had a blooming good night's sleep, seven I went to bed and I've slept till 6 this morning! Eleven hours - BOOM!  I really feel ready for a Magic May now!

I'm not talking about the pulling rabbits out hats kind of magic, I'm talking about that magic that happens around us every day if only we stopped to look.  The magic of people, of nature, of the universe.  Heck we're all miracles when you think about it, your heart beats 101,000 times a day, each day you take 23,000 breathes and you do that unconsciously, that's amazing in itself before you even think about the things both you and your body are capable of.  How amazing are you!

I'm watching magic happen in my garden every day at the moment, I have bluebells all over  my garden where they weren't last year - magical!  Especially as they are one of my favourite flowers and every year I never quite get round to getting to a bluebell wood - so nature has magically given me one of my own in my front garden (okay it's not a wood but if I was a fairy it would feel like a wood!

Food, now don't tell me that stuff ain't magical, I turned cabbage and brown rice into something quite delicious yesterday all with a couple of pots of powder (flavourings), that's magic! 

I've just asked mom to tell me something magic in the world her response, "sunrise" She's right there, how amazing is that every morning.  I asked anything else, and she's still talking, "the fact we're spinning on this planet and we don't know - why don't  we fall off!", nature - how do the trees know when it's time to bloom and rainbows, now they are magic."

Rain, we moan about it, but it fills the rivers and the reservoirs and we survive because of it, the cycle of nature and the cycle of life is just pure magic and sometimes it's good to stop and appreciate that.

I love the idea of being able to magically help someone lose weight, I really do, that wand and poof, but I'm not that good, I do watch members magically transform in front of my eyes though, it may take a little longer than "poof" but it's most certainly worth the wait.

So all magic isn't instant, but all magic is amazing and incredible and worth noticing.  So today notice those magical moments, the magic going on around you.  I'm listening to my mom talking to Alfie about the squirrels, she's enjoying the magic of squirrel life, she can see the dray in the trees because thanks to the weather the leaves haven't grown yet but the squirrels have still bred and she can see them through her binoculars, I've already been sent up the garden in my pj's because there weren't any nuts out for them - yeah that's magic :)

Suddenly you just know it's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.   If you've been struggling with your weight or something else, believe today is the day to take back your power, know reading this has infused you with mystical, magical powers that are going through your body as you read and giving you the power to succeed - believing in yourself is the most magical thing that will ever happen to you.

The day you decide your life is magical is the day you'll suddenly notice there's magic all around you BeYOUtiful.

Here's your Smart Points recipe for today, a plate full of magic!

Goan Prawn Curry

SERVES 4 ~ Prep time 15 mins ~ Cook time 25 mins ~ SmartPoints 4 per serving

Calorie controlled cooking spray

1 large onion, grated

4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

2 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp curry powder

3 cardamom pods, split

150ml reduced-fat coconut milk

100ml fish stock

100g sugar snap peas

400g raw peeled king prawns

Juice of 1 lime

½ tsp caster sugar

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Heat a large pan over a medium heat, mist with cooking spray and add the onion. Cover and cook, for 8 mins, until softened.

Add the ginger, garlic and chilli to the pan and cook for 1 min. Add the tomatoes, spices, coconut milk and stock. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, part-covered, for 8 mins, until reduced and

starting to thicken.

Stir in the sugar snap peas, prawns and lime juice and cook for 3-4 mins, until the prawns are cooked  through. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add the sugar and half the coriander.

Serve garnished with the remaining coriander.