Hello everyone! Hope you’ve had a great day!
I’ve just come back from another magical afternoon with my workshop children. I led three meditation groups this afternoon (2 workshops and 1 playtime session). Today ,we did ’Wishfulfilling Jewel’ meditations. It was beautiful to see the children in such peaceful meditative states, followed by enthusiastic, animated discussions about their experience of the meditation 
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While I keep the meditation session short (5-10 minutes), one boy carried on meditating for another 35 minutes whilst the rest of the children watched a film. He was totally absorbed in the meditation and completely still. It was incredible to watch!
At playtime, I’m teaching a Year 6 (10 year old) girl how to meditate. Today, she joined in with Lil’ L and his friend who had already come into the classroom to meditate. Lil’ L led the introductory breathing meditation, then I continued with the wishfulfilling jewel. For some reason, this meditation seemed to have physical effects on the children. Two of them said that their hands were tingling and the tips of the girl’s fingers had turned red and hot. Lil’ L actually heated up during the meditation and was sweating. However, soon after meditation finished, he cooled down. I’ve never witnessed anything like this before, so I’m not sure what it means. I’ll have to consult the experts 
In the workshops today, we started watching ‘The Legend of Buddha’ (an English-speaking Indian animation film). I must have seen this film at least six times already (and saw the first half twice today!) but it still moves me every time I watch it. The kids love it too!
Next Wednesday is the last workshop sessions of the term. The children have worked so hard and, to show my appreciation, I’ve got a little present to give to each of them. I’m really looking forward to seeing their faces when they open it. I can’t say what it is yet, as I don’t want Lil’ L to find out, but I’ll reveal all next Wednesday
I also had some pretty cool eats today, and as it’s time for the lovely Jenn’s ‘What I Ate Wednesday’ party, I’ll share them with you. Here goes…
Breakfast
Hot lemon & water
3 vegan blueberry buckwheat and oat pancakes (left over from last night’s dessert).
This is one of those flukey shots where I took one photo and it actually turned out okay. Normally I take a gazillion photos to get one that I’m happy with, so this was a very rare occurrence!
Lunch
At the weekend I trialled a festive version of my classic lentil and nut loaf. This basically meant that I added nuts that I consider to be ‘festive’ (hazelnuts and chestnuts) and glazed the top of the loaf with lots of delicious cranberry sauce.
I only got round to tasting the loaf today. As I needed a quick lunch, I simply ate it cold with a side serving of raw kale coated in Good Hemp oil and sprayed with B Shot raspberry balsamic vinegar.
Check out how sunny it was when I attempted to take a photo! We’re still having some crazy weather for November!
The cranberry sauce glaze was lush!
Snacks & Drinks
Nettle tea
Peppermint tea
A little water (not enough)
Black coffee & 1 Amaretti biscuit (to test that they were edible )
Today I made a batch of Amaretti biscuits, which I’m planning to give as presents to friends, family and Lil’ L’s school teachers. I got great feedback when I made these biscuits last year, so I’ve been looking forward to making them again. They are really easy and quick to make! (recipe below)
There was no light by the time the biscuits were ready to be photographed, so I've had to resort to an old, bad photo from last year 
Here’s the recipe:
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes approximately 40 biscuits.
Ingredients
325 g / 11.5 oz / 3 1/4 cups ground almonds
300 g / 10.5 oz / 1 1/4 cups unrefined caster sugar
3 organic, free-range egg whites
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170C / 325F / Gas 3. Line baking sheets with parchment.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until firm.
3. Gently fold the sugar, almonds and extracts into the egg white, until you have a smooth paste.
4. Roll the mixture into small balls (approx. 1 tbsp mixture per ball). Flatten slightly and place on the baking tray approx. 2cm / 3/4 inch apart.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or so, until lightly golden (the biscuits will remain soft until they cool down).
6. Leave to cool completely before gently peeling off the baking paper.
These biscuits last for weeks. They start off crunchy and eventually become soft and chewy (but still as delicious)
This is one of the rare occasions that I use eggs in my baking. I bought them from a local guy who keeps a few hens. I grilled him to find out how he looks after and cares for the hens … I even asked him if he loves them! (cue amusing response to the ‘mad’ lady ) Anyway, I’m satisfied that these hens are well cared for, so I’m happy to purchase their eggs.
Dinner
Tonight, we had chestnut and green lentil soup. This soup is so tasty and Lil’ L absolutely loves it! He’s had it for dinner twice this week already. Today, we served it with a sprinkling of shelled hempseeds on top, and warm seeded ciabatta on the side.
Click here for the recipe.
Lil’ L and M also had a serving of the festive nut loaf (to test it) along with some crispy kale. They both loved the loaf, so it looks like it’s definitely going to feature on the Christmas dinner plate.
Dessert
Tonight, M made one of his ‘speciality’ smoothies for dessert… chocolate, banana and blueberry smoothie made with Alpro soya milk. A great (sneaky) way to get some blueberries into Lil’ L’
It’s been a fantastic day all round for me! I hope this Wednesday has been a good one for you too!
What has been the highlight of your day? For me, it was definitely the kids’ workshops.
What was your favourite eats? Hard for me to choose today, but I’m going to go for the Amaretti biscuit, closely followed by the chestnut soup.
I’d love to hear from you! In the meantime, I’ll pop over to Jenn’s party and get some inspiration for some more great eats
Happy WIAW everyone!
