If you’re winding down for the year and are keen to take a moment for reflection, this guide is for you

How are you feeling as the end of the year approaches? If you’re anything like me, the word ‘tired’ may well come to mind. When this feeling comes over me, however, I try to embrace it. As I type this, I’m cocooned in a cosy jumper listening to acoustic Christmas songs. I’m making plans for rest and am ready to hibernate a little.

I’m also making plans for quiet reflection. The end of a year naturally lends itself to this, giving us a clear endpoint to pause and look back at the last 12 months. I do this every year and it helps me appreciate what I’ve experienced, learn any necessary lessons and grieve for what didn’t go to plan. It also serves as a jumping-off point for setting intentions and hopes for the year ahead.

If you’re keen to try an end of year reflection, here are some steps to make it both meaningful and enjoyable.

Set the scene

The first step is to carve out time and space for reflection. Plan a morning, afternoon or evening and schedule it in your calendar like you would any other important appointment. When you get to it, make it special. Play your favourite music, light a candle, have a beverage and snack nearby (I personally opt for a glass of red and a mince pie) and get a writing tool of choice (pen and paper, notes app on your phone, computer, voice memo – whatever works for you).

Take a couple of deep breaths to centre yourself. Let go of what’s happened so far today/this week. Engage your senses and root yourself in the present moment. We have to arrive where we are before we look back.

If you had to describe the year in one word, what would it be?

To start with, it can be helpful to really zoom out for a bird’s eye view of the year. Thinking of it as a whole, can you think of one word that encapsulates the year? This can be a helpful starting point before digging deeper.

What felt tough this year?

I personally like to start with the lows so I can end on a high, but you may prefer to switch this order. Whenever you come to it, ask yourself what was difficult about this year. You may have a lot to note here, or not as much as you think. Remember, we all have different capacities for stress, so what feels difficult for one person may not feel difficult for others. So try not to compare yourself to others who may have had it ‘worse’. This is about you and how you experienced the year.

What lessons were learnt?

The lessons from the tough moments of the year may be obvious, or they may still elude you. They may have reminded you how important self-compassion is. They may have strengthened or weakened relationships. They may have helped you see what’s important to you in your life. They may have simply reminded you that this life is a wild ride sometimes and all we can do is hold on until things settle.

Who gave you what you needed this year?

Taking a moment to thi

Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal is filled with soft apple slices, a sprinkling of brown sugar and spices, and oats cooked until tender.

As you know, we love Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal and it has been one of my personal favorites for years. But when my boys requested oatmeal for the third time in a week, I decided to make something new.

Apple Pie Oatmeal

This oatmeal is a warm, comforting way to start the day, especially when you pair it with a hot cup of coffee, tea, or Cafe Con Leche. The aroma that the oatmeal creates in the house as it bakes is absolutely heavenly.

It’s so satisfying to eat a slice of this baked apple oatmeal in the morning and it makes a nice change from a regular bowl of oatmeal. It’s hearty enough to be breakfast all on its own but is also a welcome addition to any big weekend brunch spread.

For the record, I’ve yet to meet a version of baked oatmeal that I didn’t like and this Apple Pie Oatmeal is no different.

Baked Oatmeal with Apples

Baked Oatmeal is one of our all-time favorite breakfasts in this household. Baked oatmeal with apples? That’s a home run.

Apple slices are folded into the oats to bake along with all the other ingredients. I love the way the apples release their juices into the oatmeal as they bake, adding delicious flavor to every bite.

For this recipe, I upped the apple flavors by adding applesauce to the oat mixture instead of the usual oil. The applesauce provides that same level of moisture while taking the “apple-y” taste to the next level.

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This raw chocolate tart, made with cashews and cocoa and an almond coconut crust is a decadent gluten-free dessert that doesn’t require any cooking!

What if I told you that you can make a decadent chocolate dessert that doesn’t require any cooking?

This raw chocolate tart is one of my favorite chocolate-y desserts. Not only is it made with real food ingredients, but it is also vegan, gluten-free, and raw-diet friendly. Remember when I got certified as a raw chef? (It feels like a lifetime ago) I actually posted this recipe years ago, but the pieces were hidden amongst random blurry photos and word soup and it really, really deserved its own post. It’s one of my top recipes I’ve posted on the blog ever!

Note: this tarte is not nut-free, but the nuts and coconut give it that decadent flavor.

This recipe can also be made ahead of time if you’re making it for a special occasion – simply store it in the fridge!

You can top it with fresh raspberries, sea salt, or coconut whipped cream – whatever your heart desires. Enjoy 🙂

The Best Raw Chocolate Tart

Ingredients for the Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups almonds
• 1 1/2 cups coconut
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 dates, pitted
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. almond extract – optional

1. Measure the almonds, then in a Vitamix or a food processor, grind into a fine flour.
2. Add the dates and chop with the almonds.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the maple syrup, almond/date mixture, melted coconut oil, vanilla, coconut, sea salt and extract (optional – I used almond). Add in about 1/2 cup more coconut if you need it – this mixture was a little too wet.
4. Press the mixture into a large tart pan, or mini tart pans and dehydrate for 1 hour at 105 degrees. If you don’t have a dehydrator, place the tart crust in the oven on the lowest setting for 30 minutes.

Ingredients for the Filling:

• 2 1/2 cups soaked raw cashews
• 1 1/2 cups cacao powder
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 3/4 cup melted coconut oil

1. In a Vitamix blender, add the cashews, maple syrup, honey, vanilla, sea salt and water. Blend well until smooth and creamy.
2.  Add the cacao powder and blend until mixture is

Eight months after The Wanted star Tom Parker died of brain cancer, his wife Kelsey reveals her ongoing experience of grief, and the physical and mental challenge that will offer an opportunity for contemplation and healing

The weekend before her interview with Happiful, actress and influencer Kelsey Parker was a guest at a wedding where she unexpectedly found herself sidelined by other guests.

“No one wanted to talk to me,” explains Kelsey. “People don’t know what to say to me, so they say nothing at all. I tried to speak to people that I hadn’t seen for a while, but after the ‘How are you?’ nobody wanted to take the conversation further.”

For the uninitiated, that conversation is grief. And, according to Kelsey, the widow of singer and The Wanted star Tom Parker who died in March at the age of 33, after an 18-month battle with brain cancer, it’s time we all did better at speaking out about life after loss.

“I’m coping with my grief by speaking about it, but in the UK we just don’t talk honestly and openly about grief, death, and everything else associated with these painful experiences. These are realities that will one day affect us all,” says Kelsey, who has made a six-part ITVBe miniseries about grief, which airs this month. Welcoming cameras into the south London home she once shared with Tom and their children Aurelia, three, and Bodhi, two, and being filmed as she explored alternative ways to navigate grief was, says Kelsey, “hugely healing”.

As well as visiting a death cafe where people drink tea, eat cake, and discuss death, she tried grief yoga, where movements and breathing techniques help participants process their feelings. She also met with members of Widowed And Young, a national charity for people who are aged 50 or under when their partner dies.

“It’s shocking, isn’t it? I’m 32 and I’m a widow,” sighs Kelsey. “Although my friends are amazing, they can’t truly relate to me because they’ve not lost their partner, so I really enjoyed meeting with the WAY members because they truly understood where I was coming from, and that was lovely.”

With this in mind, you can sense the appeal of another activity that Kelsey is embarking on as part of her life journey post-Tom.

Alongside her close pal, actress and podcaster Giovanna Fletcher, TOWIE star Pete Wicks, and TV personality Vicky Pattison, last month Kelsey trekked 100km across the Sahara in aid of breast cancer awareness charity, CoppaFeel!

Flanked by 100 CoppaFeel! supporters, the team hiked for 10 hours daily through Morocco’s unforgiving landscape, a gruelling challenge that would intimidate most. But not Kelsey.

From the day he was diagnosed with an inoperable grade four glioblastoma tumour in October 2020, during his 60 sessions of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and until the day he died just hours after lying beside Kelsey and placing his platinum wedding ring on her finger, Tom never lost s

Fresh cranberries and a hint of lemon are combined in this incredibly moist brown sugar streusel Cranberry Coffee Cake.

Cranberry Coffee Cake

There is just something about sitting down mid-morning with a fresh cup of coffee and a piece of coffee cake. It gives me a nostalgic feeling of when times were a bit slower and a neighbor might have stopped by to gossip after the kids left for school.

I know it is a bit of a small-town romantic notion, and perhaps I should turn off the holiday Hallmark movies. Regardless, I will just enjoy my cup of coffee with a piece of cranberry cake and a good book or phone call to catch up with a friend.

Cranberry Coffee Cake is not an overly sweet or fluffy cake. It’s a richly dense coffee cake with a lovely tartness from the cranberries.

When I say rich though, it is not sweet rich. The richness comes from the butter, eggs, and sour cream. Topped with buttery sugar topping it is perfect for a holiday brunch gathering.

If cranberries are not in season, (or if you do not currently have them stashed in your freezer) this cake will work nicely with blueberries as well. Frozen cranberries may be stirred into the batter straight from the freezer.

This coffee cake is really one of the easiest things you can make. Creaming the butter and sugar together smoothly is the first step. Add your remaining liquids and eggs.

Alternate adding the dry ingredients stirring just until combined each time. Take care to not overmix. One or two quick passes with your sp