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RECIPE 🍪 WALNUT & DARK CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES 🍪 . . 💕 NOM ALERT. I've been snacking on these tasty cookies all week - made using very simple ingredients with a flavour game to match, you're gonna wanna give these a go! . . 💕 Recipe (Makes 12 Cookies) 💕Ingredients 1 tbsp honey 1 heaped tbsp nut butter of choice 3 tbsp cacao powder 150g of quick-cook oats (I use Flahavan’s) 2 medium sized ripe bananas 2 tbsp milk of choice 50g of good quality dark chocolate, broken up into small pieces (go for 70% or higher – my favourite is 85%!) 1 large handful of walnuts, broken up into small pieces (my favourites are the Tesco or Aldi 85% bars, very cheap too! Lindt is also delicious but slightly more pricey). Optional: 1 tbsp milled flax or chia seeds (you could add pumpkin or sunflower seeds here either!) . . 💕Method: 👉Pre-heat the oven to 175C. Line a baking tray with grease-proof paper (if you don’t have any, just line it with tinfoil and grease the tinfoil with a little olive  or rapeseed oil!) 👉Add the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl – oats, cacao powder, walnuts and seeds (if adding seeds) – and stir until combined. 👉Mash up your bananas until almost liquid in consistency. 👉Add the banana mash to the bowl, and mix until all the dry ingredients are coated. 👉Add the milk and honey, and stir again until the wet ingredients are fully mixed with the dry ingredients. 👉Finally, add the dark chocolate chips and fold them into the batter. 👉Scoop out fist size balls of cookie batter using a spoon, and place each onto the baking tray. Flatten the ball out a little so it makes a rounder cookie shape to bake! 👉Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, then leave to cool for 30 minutes (have patience!) 👉Flick the kettle on, and tuck into to give your cookies a taste test with a cuppa! 👉Note: Store in a sealed Tupperware or other container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze these cookies – ensure they are fully defrosted (give 24 hours) before consumption. . . 💕 Enjoy gang! Tag me if you try this recipe out! Happy Sunday 😊 #theirishbalance #cookies #chocolatechipcookies #cookierecipe #darkchocolate
BOOK REVIEW 📚 When All Is Said By Anne Griffin 📚 . . 📚 Back for another book review this weekend gang! So, when I shared this book on my stories my DMs lit UP with messages from you guys sharing your thoughts on it - and most of you said it made you cry 😓 So I was a bit apprehensive! . . 📚 But oh my GOSH I loved this book. I didn't want it to end. When All Is Said is a fiction novel which tells the story of elderly man Maurice Hannigan, who reflects on those most dear to him throughout life in this book, giving 5 special people a toast. It's set in Ireland (county Meath!), and is honestly one of the loveliest stories I've read in a while. Somehow it manages to be both heart-warming and heart-breaking, which is no mean feat! . . 📚 What struck me most about this book is the power of words left unsaid. The things Maurice wishes he had expressed, the ways he wished he had treated those he loved at different times, and what he would do if given the chance of a do over. I think we've all experienced those feelings, no matter what age we are - I certainly have, and I do my best to look, but not stare, at the past if reflecting on it. This book reminded me of the importance of always striving to be the best person you can be, to have family and friends at the top of the life priority list, and to SHOW those you love that they are a priority. Call them. Tell them you love them. And tell them what you love ABOUT them. Don't put it off. Life flies by faster than we realise! . . 📚 Get this book on your list gang - and get a pack of Kleenex ready for the ending 🙈 #theirishbalance #bookreview #bookclub #whenallissaid #bookrecommendations
Valentine’s Day Thoughts 💕 . . ❣Today is one of those days of the year, kinda like New Year’s Eve, where you either love it or you hate it. And that can depend on where you’re at in life & who you’re with. For those of us lucky enough to have people we love & be loved in return, it’s important to remember that that doesn’t just apply to your boyfriend/girlfriend/partner/significant other. It applies to family, friends, even your pet! . . ❣But love also (and most importantly) applies to how much love you have for yourself. And I think loving yourself is a whole lot easier said than done. And definitely harder than finding ‘the one’ (cringe). . . ❣When I went through a fairly awful (understatement) break-up of a long-term relationship 18 months ago (where does time go?!), I had to take a good hard look at whether I loved myself or not. And you know what? I’m not sure that I did. Not wholeheartedly. . . ❣That became my mission as part of healing from that loss. To spend time doing something really damn hard – figuring out what parts of me I didn’t love, and why. To challenge any negative thoughts, perceptions and beliefs I had about myself (body & mind), to sit with them, & try to work through them for the better. . . ❣ It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, especially in the wake of heartbreak, & I’m definitely not finished. But I’m getting there. And I think we all should care about getting there. Whether you think ‘self-love’ is cheesy or not, you can’t deny its importance. . . ❣ Your body is the only home you can be certain of, & your mind is where you spent a LOT of time – both should be filled with love, not negativity, and treated with the utmost kindness and compassion, not restriction, punishment or judgement. . . ❣ So Happy Valentine’s Day to you all – remember, you can’t pour love from an empty cup. So fill yours up first before you start dishing that good stuff out to anyone else. . . ❣ 100% buying myself some flowers after work today – who’s with me?! And hey - if you have a special someone to spend today with, that is awesome too - have yourselves a totally wonderful time 🥰 #theirishbalance #valentinesday #bemyvalentine #selflove #love
RECIPE ❤ SWEET POTATO & CHICKPEA COCONUT CURRY ❤ . . ❤ Truth - this recipe got me through my medical finals. I made it every week for about 5 or 6 weeks straight and didn't get sick of it 😂 The flavour game in this curry is pretty darn delish if I do say so myself - I hope you love it as much as I do! Always a great one for a quick and easy Valentine's Day dins! . . ❤ Ingredients: 1 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil 1 garlic clove, finely minced 1 red onion 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp each ground cumin, turmeric and coriander 1/2 tsp mild chili powder 1 large sweet potato 1 400g can of chickpeas 1 400ml tin of chopped tomatoes 2 tbsp tomato puree 1 400ml can of low fat coconut milk 1 bell pepper, de-seeded & chopped into 1-inch chunks . . ❤Method: 👉Finely dice the onions and garlic clove, and chop the sweet potato & peppers into bite-sized pieces (for the sweet potato, aim for 1-inch chunks). 👉Place the spices into a little bowl & give a stir to combine. 👉Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot until melted, then add your onions and minced garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent. 👉Next, add your spices to the onions, and cook for 3-4 mins to coat the onions. 👉Add the tinned chopped tomatoes, puree & coconut milk . Stir until combined. 👉Add the chopped sweet potato and pepper pieces, & stir again. The liquid level of the curry should be high enough to cover the sweet potato (about 2/3 of the pot depth), because the sweet potato is going to cook in the sauce. 👉Drain and rinse the chickpeas, and add to the curry. 👉Turn the heat down to a simmer, and leave to cook for at least 20-25 minutes. Check on the curry every few minutes, and stir again to make sure its not sticking to the pot. 👉At 25 mins, stick a fork into one of the sweet potato chunks to see if they’re cooked – if the fork easily pierces them then they’re ready! 👉Prepare your side of choice while the curry is simmering - quinoa, spelt or brown rice would be great with this! . . ❤ Enjoy! Tag me if you try this recipe out as always 😊 #theirishbalance #curry #veggiecurry #sweetpotato #vegetariancurry
Novel Coronavirus UPDATE 👩‍⚕️ . . 👩‍⚕I’m sure most of you have by now seen the many news headlines about the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak. Using this great infographic by the European Centre for Disease Control & Prevention, plus the excellent FAQ section of the @hpscireland website, here’s an update: . . 👉Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that circulate among animals including camels, cats and bats. Coronaviruses are zoonotic – i.e. can be spread from animals to humans. These viruses cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe respiratory diseases. . . 👉A NEW (novel) coronavirus (2019-nCoV, or COVID-19 as its been officially named by the WHO), was first identified in Dec 2019 in Wuhan, China. 1st cases were people working in a seafood & live animal market there (it’s thought this is where humans picked up the virus). Investigations are ongoing to identify the animal source. . . 👉According to the ECDC as of this morning, globally there have been 45179 confirmed cases to date, 1115 deaths & 43 reported cases in the EU & UK. The majority of cases & deaths have been in China. . . 👉Spread of COVID-19 can be direct (e.g.contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids) or indirect (e.g.touching surfaces recently contaminated with virus). . 👉Symptoms can include fever, cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. Some can develop more severe disease. According to the HPSC, to date, 1 in every 50 people (2%) who are confirmed to have 2019-nCoV infection have died (this was 10% for the SARS outbreak). . . 👉Incubation period - is the time between infection and the onset of symptoms of disease. Current information suggests that the incubation period for 2019-nCoV may range from 2-11 days, but could be up to 14 days. . . 👉Prevention: We should always practice good hand hygiene & respiratory hygiene to reduce the spread of many infections, this applies to 2019-nCoV too! More in the infographic above& on the HPSC FAQs. . . 👉Stay up to date via @hpscireland @irishhealthservice @publichealthengland @who . . Check out HPSC FAQs at https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/frequentlyasked #theirishbalance
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF WOMEN & GIRLS IN SCIENCE 👩‍⚕️ . . 👩‍⚕️According to UN & UNESCO figures, only 30% of all female students select STEM-related (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields in higher education. Less than 30% of researchers worldwide are female. The UN adopted a resolution to make February 11th International Day of Women and Girls in Science ‘in order to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.’ . . 👩‍⚕️A 2017 position paper by the Irish Medical Organisation titled ‘Women in Medicine’ found 41% of doctors in Ireland were female, which is a massive jump from the estimated FORTY women that registered in medical school between 1897 and 1906. Now, 55% of medical students & 52% of incoming interns are female. However, that proportion doesn’t hold out across specialties. 9.1% of general surgery specialists in Ireland are female, compared to 71% of public health specialists. . . 🙋‍♀️Women still face gender bias & stereotypes in the offline & online world - it’s a case of ‘lots done, lots more to do’ on that. . . 👏But today gals, give yourselves a massive clap on the back – for pursing & doing what you love, & loving what you do. . . 🙋‍♀️I always knew I wanted my career to combine science, healthcare, people, and (I hoped, but didn’t tell many) writing. My route has been full of ups, downs and loops back onto itself – getting into medicine on my second attempt, a fantastic year of nutrition and dietetics, 5 years of med school, internship, senior house officer training, exams always along the way – and most recently, a Masters in Public Health and securing a spot on a training programme to be a specialist in public health medicine. . . 💕We rarely take a step back to reflect on how far we’ve come, and I try to do that more these days. I also think the family, friends and significant others with us on these journeys need a shout-out today too. Sacrifices are made left right and centre by women in STEM-related fields (yes, men make them too, I know!), and the impact is borne by us AND our loved ones. #theirishbalance

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