Be Well with Bernie

I came across the word  “h ygge ”  while scrolling through  Pinterest recently and I’ve totally fallen in love with  it and  what it stands for.   I have a thing for learning new words and  I’ve often come across words with no single meaning or direct translation  into English  and this is one  of tho se words for sure .. .   Hygge is a  Danish word, pronounced "hoo-ga"  and  is roughly  transla ted into English as warm and cos y .      It may be  a  hard  word   for people outside of Denmark to pronounce  but that hasn't stopped  us from finding out that hygge may  be a recipe for a happier life .. .  The word has become so well known and so well used that the Oxford Dictionary even short listed it  as one of their Words of the Year  in  2016 !! So I’ve been doing my due diligence and  “googling”  to learn a little more  ...

I absolutely love the change of the seasons every year and really enjoy the special qualities that each season has to offer but Autumn is probably my favorite 🍂🍁 I love the crisp clean air, the colors all around, the blue skies and the sunshine that Autumn brings.   You can get a real feel of Autumn in the air already.  Saturday  morning was the first time we had to wear our woolly hats on the beach this year and there was something really comforting about it. The cooler weather means we're now changing from salads to stews. We're all looking for nice dinners that we don't have to spend hours prepping and cooking and what's more, we don't want to have loads of pots to wash up afterwards...   That's why I hear singing when I hear those beautiful words "one pot wonder" 🎼   Forget "Maria" in West Side Story, this is the most beautiful sound you'll ever hear...  Say it low and it's almost like praying 😂 If you li...

Most people who know myself and Liam will be aware that we took on a 30 day vegan challenge back in July.  The 30 days have long passed and our diet is still mostly plant based. When we told people we were doing this challenge we were met with shocked expressions and the majority of people had the same thought...  POOR LIAM!!  She must have forced him into it, give the man a burger for crying out loud!! Believe it or not it was quite the opposite. I came home from work one Sunday to find the Irish Independent spread across the table.  “I’m thinking of becoming a REDUCETARIAN”.  “Oh really, what’s that?” “It’s a diet where you consciously try to cut down on the amount of animal products you eat”. … meat consumption … carbon footprint...  water ... recycling … population explosion ...  were some of the words I heard.   I have to be completely honest and tell you I only half listened because I seriously f...

I’m a massive fan of Aldi supermarkets.  I do almost all my weekly shopping there apart from a few things that I need to get in Tesco or Supervalu.  It’s the best place to go if you’re looking for value for money as well as a good selection to choose from.  Their range of health foods is in my opinion the best around.  The Foodie Market and The Functional Foods products that are available are amazing value for money.  I particularly like their Macca Powder, green lentils, couscous, bulgur wheat and almond butter.  You just can’t compare the price with the other supermarket chains. There’s one major drawback to shopping in Aldi however and I’m sure we’ve all fallen victim to it.  Allow me to paint a picture for you…    You finish browsing the aisles and with a full trolley you walk towards the til.  You can feel the tension starting to build immediately.  It’s like being on the starting blocks of a major race....