Saturday 30 January 2016

Day 26 & 27, 2016

Good morning from an overcast morning in Laguna Beach after a beautiful evening with a breathtaking sunset.


Evening of Friday 29th January 2016 - 6pm

Morning of Saturday 30th January 2016 - 7am

This morning I woke up refreshed and looking forward to a new day.  The morning was spent catching up on some household chores, checking emails and answering urgent enquiries and then heading out into a town called Irvine to have our hair coloured and cut.  I know pampering oneself is one of life's luxuries however the length of time it takes to do it is long (3 hours) and plays havoc on the back!  So happy about my hair but not so about the aches and pains in my back :(

However all is well.  After having our hair done we had lunch at a nice restaurant next door to the hairdressers and devoured a delicious bowl of mixed 'farmers salad', full of apples, grapes, pomegranate and the usual salad leaves etc. and a side of steamed butternut squash topped with toasted pumpkin seeds washed down with an iced green tea.  Heavenly and well needed after our long morning.





I did have some bread on the side, like a toasted panini and yesterday I also enjoyed some toasted sourdough bread, neither gluten free and to be honest, after both occasions, I did feel bloated and noticed energy levels decreased.  So all in all I know that bread, especially regular bread, regardless of if it is yeast free or not (sourdough is yeast free with no added sugars) does slow down the metabolism and makes me feel bloated, heavy and lethargic so back to not eating ANY bread at all is my realisation over the last couple of days.

For dinner my sister made a very tasty and healthy Basil Soup with minimal nutritious ingredients and the recipe is detailed below.  Very easy and quick.


Basil & Sweet Potato Soup


Served 4, gluten free and vegan

2 cups chopped celery, 2 cups chopped sweet potato
2 cups fresh basil leaves washed
4 bay leaves
1 tbsp coconut oil
Salt and pepper to tast

Instructions:
Saute all the vegetables with the coconut oil and bay leaves for about 10 minutes.
Add the basil.
Add 6 cups of cold water and gently simmer for about 40 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Blend and serve.

Yesterday evening I fancied something sweet and made a delicious banana ice-cream and topped it with a little almond butter.  It was so tasty, light and nutty.


Saturday 30th January 8am.

I woke early again, 5am (I think my body has got used to this clock pattern) and after tossing and turning for about half hour, I decided to get up shower, meditate, relax and reflect before catching up on some computer work.

I finally got round to weighing myself this morning after finding some scales in my sisters bathroom and converting them into Kilos, which is the way I track my weight, and my weight has not changed at all!  I am a little dismayed at this however I think this is due to snacking more on nuts on the go so I don't get the shakes, consuming bread over the past couple of days accompanied with avocado vegan butter and generally not moving around as much due to the unstable circumstances with my back.  

To be honest, all these are excuses and I feel that being out of my comfort zone, knowing where I am and what I am doing, not having the freedom or flexibility to just get up and go for a walk because of the location I am all plays a part in my mind however I admit that these are all excuses and where there is a will there is way right!

So I am going to incorporate a regular walking regime into my day, focus on what I am eating because what better place to embrace healthy eating than Laguna and LA and of course the best reason being for the better good of my health physically and mentally.  So a new day brings new focus, new determination, commitment and belief to carry on.

Today we have some shopping errands to do and have some people over for lunch and then need to prepare for a luncheon tomorrow which my nephew and his friends are coming over for so busy busy.

However to start off this wonderful day, I have prepared a healthy and nutritious breakfast of Quinoa porridge with oats, flaxseeds, coconut oil and almond milk and will top off with toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds and almonds.  Yummy.




Have a wonderful day everyone - until soon x

Thursday 28 January 2016

Day 24 & 25 2016

Glorious weather continues to embrace me everyday and I truly feel grateful and blessed.




My health has been truly on the rise, feeling good, healthy, energised and vibrant.  I know that food and drink helps enormously however I am sure the sun and great weather also works miracles on the body and mind.

We have been entertaining at home most days, either lunch or dinner and I have been cooking.  

Today is Thursday 28th January 10.40am.

On Tuesday evening we went to a friends house for dinner and enjoyed a delicious lentil rice with salad.  It was good to catch up with friends I hadn't seen in a little while as well as enjoying traditional Persian rice.  We had a friend stay over.

Yesterday, Wednesday 27th, I made a delicious breakfast for us and our friend before hitting the road as I had another appointment with the wonderful Chinese doctor for another session of acupuncture.

Breakfast:  Sautéed tempeh, tofu scrambe (with spinach and red peppers), shiitake mushrooms and home-made baked beans with cannelloni beans, tomato puree and soy sauce and a delicious cup of black coffee.




The acupuncture session itself was painful however I truly have been feeling much better.  The pain seems to have been relieved and movement is most definitely more flexible so I am very pleased.  He has given me some additional supplements to address balance issues and circulation issues which I am sure will only assist in the recovering and healing of the body.  Happy days!

We got home just after lunch time to enjoy some delicious 'super greens soup' I had made early in the morning and wanted to share the recipe with you.

This soup is not only delicious but is full of greens that the body needs that you would not normally be able to consume the amount 'raw'.


Supergreens Soup (Aash Persian soup)
Gluten Free & Vegan

Serves 4 people
2 cups kale, 2 cups spinach, 1/2 cup coriander, 1/2 cup parsley (all chopped)
1 can red kidney beans
1 cup of mix dry lentils (mix green & brown lentils and some brown rice to make 1 cup)

Rinse the lentils and rice in cold water and put into a saucepan with 6 cups of water
Let the lentils come to a boil and turn heat down to simmer for 30 minutes
From the total of all the 'greens' take a little of each combination to make 1 cup and keep aside.
With all the rest of the greens, add to the water and lentil mix and continue to simmer
After a further 20 minutes, take a frying pan and add 1 tbsp of coconut oil.
Add 1/2 tsp of turmeric
Add the cup of mixed greens and gently sauté
Add salt and pepper to taste
Put the 'sautéed' mix into the soup mix and cook altogether for a further 20 minutes
or until all the lentils etc are soft.
Add the can of red kidney beans and once cooked, enjoy with some raw crackers!

Bon appetite!



I have been spending most of the morning catching up on work stuff and planning activities for when I get back to the UK as well as cooking and preparing for lunch before we head out for an afternoon of walking, manicure and pedicure and food shopping.

Lunch is my delicious recipe of veggie chilli with brown rice (gluten free & vegan).  If anyone is interested in the recipe, please let me know and I will send to you.




Until soon, take care. x

Tuesday 26 January 2016

Day 23 - 2016 (26th January)

Good morning and what a beautiful morning I am waking up to here in Laguna Beach, CA.

I seem to be waking up the same time every morning, which is usually around 4.30/5am - I think my body has got used to this.  However this is great for me.  By the time I get up and find my bearings, I have some time to sit looking at the beautiful view from my room of the calm ocean and see the sun rise, whilst taking time to reflect, churn and simply be.

This is a wonderful time when the world outside is still calm and it is peaceful enough to have the opportunity to take some time out to be still in the moment.  I love these early mornings here in Laguna.......watching the smooth waves far from the distance, looking at the beautiful greenery of the trees in front of the house and then to the side of the house, seeing the sun rise over the mountains.  Breathtaking!    (Views at 6.45am this morning).






 As I mentioned yesterday (25.01.16), I had an appointment with a Chinese doctor for in relation to my back.  As you can imagine, anyone with pain does not really like that particular area being touched and as for me, my back is a very sensitive area that never likes to be touched so this was going to prove a little challenging.  However my sister and her friend who had been to this doctor highlighted his expertise in this area as well as the benefits so I sucked it up and went for it, nervously.

The doctor checked my pulse, he checked my tongue and then took me into another room to lay down on my back so he could commence with the acupuncture to my back.  He chose certain meridian points in the back and put the needles in gently but as soon he twisted them into place, boy oh boy, this was agony, like my nerves were alive and kicking. I rode through the pain with gritted teeth and after all the needles were in, he put the infrared heat lamp on over my back and left me for about 20 minutes.  On and off throughout this time I could feel my nerves twinge and my muscles pulsating, especially the backs of my legs and was thankful when he came back to take the needles out.

He mentioned that I have poor circulation around the body and gave me some natural pills to assist this and would like to see me a few more times during this trip as he feels I am very stiff and there is some areas in the back and hip area that need more attention.  My first thought, coming out and being greeted by my sister, whilst he was mentioning this was, 'yeh right - I am NOT coming back', however I know that to get better sometimes you need to go through some initial discomfort and pain.  Coming back into the car for the ride home (2 hours back on the 'freeway'), my muscles were very stiff and back uncomfortable however I rode through the pain.

Once we got home, I made lunch and then headed to bed to rest the body and the mind and slept peacefully for 2 hours and woke to spend time with some of my sisters friends who had come to visit.  The evening went by without too much physical discomfort however at the end of the night, I knew I needed to get to bed to stretch out the back and rest.

Dinner
My sister knows I love working with food and being experimental and sent me a link on Facebook to make this delicious looking bowl of 'sushi' which I decided to give it a go.  It looked great and tasted delicious and in time, I will perfect the look, tastes, flavours and varieties.





26.01.16

Today is going to be a day of relaxation, resting, catching up on emails and business back at home.

Breakfast:  My sister took me out and we went to this cafe called 'W Cafe' about 15 minutes away in Newport and we enjoyed the following meals (pictured below) which was delicious and full of protein and nutrients that the body and mind needs.  

Looking good and loving the LA life because everything is so readily available :).

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with berries, banana, almond milk and cinnamon followed by sourdough toast topped with banana and almond butter for me and avocado and kale for my sister.  Both were very tasty.





Well that is it for me for now.  I hope you are enjoying my blog updates thus far and would welcome any feedback you may have about anything I have openly shared with you.  With love and light x







Monday 25 January 2016

Day 21 & 22 - 2016

Good day everyone.

Since coming to LA, my days have all seemed to have merged together and as most of my followers are based in the UK, although I am picking up new followers here in the US, I don't know which time of day I am conversing in so I will simply refer to the time of day in LA (we are 8 hours behind to UK timezone), so right this minute is is 7.45am and in the UK it is 3.45pm.

So it is certainly a good morning here, filled with light, water (the ocean), love and positive energies and vibes.  (Some beautiful pictures of first thing in the morning and then a little later on in the morning).


I feel that since arriving here, what with a much milder climate than in the UK and being surrounded by great bodies, people looking for healthier alternatives in both food and drink, it is easier to continue on the healthy clean eating regime without the feeling of wanting to be tempted by anything.

It is now week 3 into my health regime and a lot has changed, mainly to do with the mind and the thought process and patterns around eating.  I don't feel tempted by 'bad' foods in terms of foods that are heavily processed (bread, ready meals, ready sauces, cookies etc.), bad fats (chocolates, crisps, bad oils etc.) and sugars (cookies, chocolate, ready made foods, processed foods etc.).  Before I used to crave certain types of foods that were not good for me however more recently, I think because my body is getting used to eating good clean foods and is certainly being provided with the right nutrients, it doesn't need ANY of the rubbish it previously craved.

Now when I think about sugar, cake, biscuits - I certainly can not even contemplate indulging in these foods.  When I want something sweet (which surprisingly is rare at present), I reach for a banana, some in season strawberries and blueberries, or some delicious RAW chocolate (just a cube or 2 is plenty whereas a whole bar of normal chocolate wasn't enough!!!).

I feel that in time the brain changes its relationship with food.  The brain changes the demands it once made on the body.  It no longer craves foods that serves the body to its benefit.  They say that it take about 28 days to change a habit!  Well I certainly believe in this.  Although I haven't quite reached the 28 day milestone, I definitely can see the mental changes in action.

Physically, I haven't seen any changes in shape.  I am experiencing aches and pains with the lower back and this has limited the amount of physical exercise I can do in order to start losing actual weight/fat and start toning the body.  So my next imminent goal is to address the issues with the back so that I can then focus on a healthy workout plan, especially to start to build my core muscles.

This morning I am heading into one of the many towns of Orange County to see a Chinese Acupuncturist who is know to have magic fingers when dealing with back pain.  I know this isn't a long term plan to resolving my back issues, but until I get back to the UK and can find out exactly what is going on underneath, I am willing to try anything to at least alleviate the pain I am suffering.

This morning I made some energising smoothies to take out on the road with us to keep us sustained.

Strawberry Hemp Smoothie

Serves 3 people

2 bananas, 8 strawberries, 1/2 mango
4 tbsp hemp seeds
1/2 cup of chia seeds soaked overnight with 1 cup almond milk & 1 cup water
Additional 1/2 cup almond milk and 1 cup water
2 tbsp raw honey

Put the mix into a blender and blend until smooth.
You can make it as thick as you like or thin it out by adding more water/milk.

Very tasty and nutritious.  Bon appetite!


I don't know what the rest of the day will bring after the acupuncturist however we will go with the flow and I am sure that only good things will come.  After all, with a environment such as the one I am in, the views that surrounds me, the company that I have the pleasure of being in, what more could I ask for.

Have a wonderful day everyone and I will reconnect with you very soon x

Saturday 23 January 2016

Day 19 & 20 - 2016

Over the past 48 hours, there has been lots going on, what with travel plans coming into place, packing, preparing everything that needs to be prepared both at home and for business and then actually following through with the travelling!

I travelled yesterday from the UK to Los Angeles where my family live (sister and nephew) to spend some time with them, to unwind and to plan some business ideas and activities both in LA and the UK.  It is very exciting planning and seeing the extent of how far the plans will develop and of course what we will be able to offer our customers in the future.

As anyone knows who has travelled to LA, the journey is long.  The flight in itself took just under 11 hours however there is the waiting time in the UK (approx. 2 hours), 30 minute delay on the plane and then the long journey on the plane which wasn't made easier by the constant niggling and pain in the lower back and then finally arriving.

On arrival, my sister met me and we headed into downtown LA to have dinner at some friends house and then shortly afterwards, headed to Laguna Beach, where my sister lives, which was another 2 hours journey!  So to say the least, it was tiring, long yet I made it and was excited to be on the West Coast visiting family and looking forward to the next few weeks.

The weather is cool, although much warmer than in the the UK (about 16c) so I can't complain.  It is now 3pm in the afternoon here on the 23rd January (UK is 11pm).  When we got home to Laguna last night is was 9pm.  After having a cup of tea and catching up, I went to bed around 10.30pm and finally slept around 11pm.  However I woke up around 2am this morning and caught up with a few phone calls back to the UK before heading back to sleep around 5am.

Good morning in LA......



I slept straight through to about 9.30am and although felt tired and heavy headed, I wanted my system to get used to LA time so got up, showered and came into the kitchen to find my sister had lovingly prepared breakfast for me of delicious black coffee (courtesy of moi!) and some toasted sprouted bread, almond nut butter and St. Dalfour strawberry jam.  

Whilst we caught up on some news stateside, we enjoyed breakfast and planned some of our time here.  I also started to think about planning our food intake whilst I'm here to continue with my regime.

So around 1pm, I made some super green juice (carrot, spinach, celery, ginger, lemon and super greens blended mix) which we enjoyed  with a backdrop of the beautiful cloudy ocean, and followed this through with a banana, strawberry, almond milk and hempseed smoothie to make it a nice rounded filling lunch.



And now it is just gone 3pm, I am catching up on emails whilst my sister has a quick nap and enjoying early afternoon views out to the ocean.  What a better way to work and enjoy the moment and enjoy planning for the future.


My Ocean View


My sister also made a delicious thick one pot soup which looks delicious as it is for our afternoon snack/dinner started.

One Pot Soup



1 cup brown rice, 1 cup mixed lentils (brown, yellow, green)
1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp turmeric, pinch of cinnamon, salt & pepper.

Gently fry the mustard seeds in 1 tbsp of sunflower/olive oil and then add the rice and lentils.  Mix the ingredients for a few minutes before added 4 cups of boiling water.
Let the mixture simmer gently for about 2 hours and then add the rest of the herbs.

Simple and delicious.
Bon Appetite!

Until soon, I bid you all good night whilst I enjoy the rest of the day here. x

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Day 18 - 2016

Well stating the obvious today is Thursday and my last full working day, packing day and wrapping up day before jetting off to LA tomorrow - yeyyyyy :)

I am so happy to see the other half of my family and get to spend time in the glamour city they call Los Angeles, Hollywood and many other things and brushing shoulders with the stars whilst dining out - however keeping in mind that this time away will also be great as LA is the land of eating healthy, drinking healthy and they cater for veggies and vegans well so I will not only be spoilt but will have the tools to eat fabulously.

I will report back as often as I can, hopefully still daily (once jet lag has escaped me) and if not daily, very regularly!

I had a wonderful day yesterday and met some great people and did my best to provide a great buffet for a private catering client of ours and moving forward, I really feel there is much to do and accomplish so LA will not only be a time for me to spend with my family, and not only to spend some time relaxing in the sun, and not only eating well and healthily but also planning the next stage and the next quarter in the new life of Virtuoso Foods (that is after we get through Brighton VegFest weekend :))

So all this reflection before breakfast, before the day really begins, before the last minute chores commences and until I summarise the days accomplishments later this evening, I will leave you with todays thought.


Thought for Today




If you cannot fly,
then run.
If you cannot run,
then walk.
If you cannot walk,
then crawl.
But whatever you do,
you have to keep moving forward.
~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Day 17 - 2016

It has been a very busy day today so far and it is only 11am!

Feeling good within myself and woke early to prepare for a special clients Buffet Luncheon which has all turned out very nicely indeed (I tasted one of the Feta, Spinach & Tofu tartlets for breakfast).

So needless to say Breakfast consisted of a delicious savoury tart with a nice cup of English tea with almond milk.  



This afternoon I will be busy catching up on emails and more planning for the future of the business and last minute customer orders for tomorrow.    To say the least, I feel very blessed and grateful to everyone who supports me personally and to those customers who have continued to support Virtuoso Foods by using us to supply them with healthy and tasty foods, cakes and treats.

So for now, I will leave you with todays thought.


Thought for Today


Tuesday 19 January 2016

Day 16 - 2016

Another start to a great day.  Woke up nice and early, feeling refreshed after a great nights sleep.  Just drank some water with my supplements and ready for the day to begin.

I have a couple of back to back meetings today to help progress my business and have some exciting projects coming up.  On the way to one of my meetings, I will be working there which will take me about 50 minutes and then depending on how I feel physically after my meeting, I will walk another 20 minutes into town for my next meeting.  If I have enough strength after the mornings activities, I will walk home or simply catch the busy back.  Watch this space :)

Only a few more days to go before I head out to LA so things might be a little quiet for a few days here and there however I will keep blogging as regularly as possible and sharing some great recipes, my developments, my insights and my news on LA!

Breakfast 8am
This was a juice of carrot, orange and ginger followed up with a slice of GF seeded toast, almond butter and a banana.  Great way to start the morning.

I have a big catering event tomorrow so after my morning meetings I will head back home to start preparing for tomorrow.  Today I will enjoy the left overs of yesterdays aubergine and lentil stew with brown rice with the addition of steamed broccoli for that extra vitamin and nutrient kick.

So until later.........have a wonderful day and I will leave you with todays thought.


Thought for Today


Monday 18 January 2016

Day 15 - 2016

2 weeks since I started on this venture or Blogging and Healthy Eating.

The results for me, I feel are quite slow yet going in the right direction.

I haven't touched any sugar, butter, milk or dairy products during this time and have reduced my gluten free intake and stepped up having more fruit and vegetables (although still need to work on this) and generally physically, I feel a lot better.  I have less mucus in the morning, I have only had one episode of headache/pressure, I feel more energised, I sleep better most nights and apart from the ongoing issues with my back, physically I feel better.

Todays weight loss in the last week is again 1 kg (2.2 pounds) which in total for the last 2 weeks is 4.4 pounds.  As I say I guess I am expecting more but to be honest, I am not eating less just eating more of the right things so am happy with this result.

Yesterday was a very busy day work wise with lots of cooking, preparing and catering for a couple of my customer orders and by the time it got to about 9pm, I crashed out in bed and slept.

Today I have some catching up to do on email and preparing for my next catering job on Wednesday plus I need to go out and run a few errands (shopping, post office, bank etc.).  

I have just taken my daily morning ritual of lots of water, aloe vera juice shot and my supplements before having breakfast of a gluten free, sugar free granola topped with berries and walnuts - yummy.

As I have a busy day, I got up early to prepare my lunch and came across this lovely looking recipe I wanted to try out (plus I keep seeing Jamie Oliver advertising it for Hello Fresh on TV LOL).  It is an aubergine stew that Jamie serves with pasta but I will be serving this alongside brown rice.


Aubergine Stew



Serving size 4
1 aubergine cut into cubes
1/2 cup of shredded cabbage 
(I use cabbage mostly in place of onions as they don't really agree with me)
1 large tomatoes
1/2 can of chopped tomatoes
1/4 tsp turmeric, pinch of salt, pepper, cinnamon
2 tbsp chopped coriander (topping)
1 tbsp pine nuts toasted (topping)

For extra protein I add 1/2 cup of brown cooked lentils
(cooking is same concept of rice - 1/2 cup lentils to 1 cup of water)
I also add a pinch of salt and a bay leaf in the water for lentils to boil in.
Gently simmer until lentils are 'al dente' - approx 30 minutes.

Instructions
In a saucepan, put 1 tbsp of sunflower oil and gently fry the cabbage until tender
Add aubergine and gentry fry for a further 5/10 minutes until tender
Add the tomatoes and spices
Turn to a low heat and gently let simmer for approx. 20 minutes.
When you are ready to serve, sprinkle the coriander and coriander on top

Meanwhile boil up some brown rice.  
Remember for every 1 cup of rice, you will need approx. 2 cups of water, a little more for brown rice as this is a little harder grain.
**It is good to always wash the rice in cold water before boiling as it removes
some of the start that rice contains**

This is a great dish and quick to make.  So I am all ready for the day ahead.  Have a great day everyone and until soon, I will leave you with my thought.

Thought For Today


Courage is a strength that comes from the core of my being.
This strength allows me to commit to life.
Courage is the willingness to go beyond my current limits
and to say, I CAN.

Sunday 17 January 2016

Day 14 - 2016


What a beautiful morning to wake up to........we have had a very light sprinkling of snow and it looks lovely, fresh and crisp, so keep warm.




I woke early this morning as I had my first customer order this morning to pick up at 9am (fresh juices and smoothies, raw energy balls and raw chocolate for a yoga session later today).

Feeling truly blessed that people 'choose' my services and I relish in the fact that I can supply healthy and tasty fresh foods, drinks and treats :)

Now going to have my supplements, lots of water, a smoothie for breakfast (avocado, spinach, banana and apple with some protein powder) before getting prepared for my next catering job.

All in all, life is good and I feel good and I will catch up with you all later.  I will leave you with todays thought.

Thought for Today


Saturday 16 January 2016

Day 13 - 16

Time is flying by sooooo quickly and we are already on Day 13 of my blog.  Before I know it, nearly 2 weeks has gone by since I started this wonderful journey.

I woke up to amazing sunshine, ready for a quick 25 minute walk, came back showered and after having my supplements, enjoyed a breakfast of super greens smoothie then headed out quickly to Tesco to get some supplies.

Both physically (my back) is feeling much better, although has little niggles and mentally I am feeling good, fresh and looking forward to exciting times ahead.  There is ALOT going on for me at the moment and I need to stay focused as when excitement sets it, it can lead the mind and of course the body to get carried away.  I need to ensure that the body is well nourished with the right foods and drinks and that the mind is also taken good care of through rest, relaxing music and meditation.  At the core of everything, we all need to balance all that we do and simply quieten down, re-charge and refocus.  We are all special.

Today is going to be mainly spent preparing as I have a few orders to prepare for today and tomorrow so busy kitchen time, however to keep us all going I wanted to share today thought.


'Thought for Today'



 When you open your eyes in the morning,

sit for a moment and appreciate
the GIFT of a new day.
Generate a peaceful thought and
enjoy few moments of
inner peace and inner silence in the morning
and carry it with you throughout the whole day.


Lunch 1245pm
I made a delicious miso soup full of kale, tofu, spinach and gf mini noodles with home made gf croutons.  Really delicious.  Last night I made a GF Vegan Tapioca & Coconut pudding for a client orders private catering dinner today and of course there is always lots left over, so here is one I enjoyed for lunch today.  (recipe below).





Tapioca Coconut Pudding (Vegan & Gluten Free)

1/2 cup of tapioca pearls
1.5 cups almond milk
1.5 cups water
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup of coconut milk (keep the cream aside and use only the milk)
5 tbsp of sweetness (raw honey, maple syrup, coconut palm sugar etc.)
pinch of salt

Instructions:
Soak the tapioca with 1/2 cup of almond milk and 1/2 cup of water for 1 hour.
Then put ALL the ingredients in a saucepan and gently bring to boil and simmer.
Stir the mixture all the time making sure it doesn't 'boil' or 'burn'.
Once all the mix has come together, let it rest for 30 minutes.
You can enjoy warm, topped with a tsp of coconut cream, sprinkling of cinnamon and a drizzle of raw honey or put the mix in ramekins and refrigerate until you are ready to enjoy.

Simply Delicious.  Bon Appetite!