food

Banana ‘Nice’ Cream (vegan)

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Craving ice cream but not the guilt that comes with? This recipe is definitely for you. ‘Nice’ cream is a great low calorie, vegan option that takes little time to make. The best part is you can adapt this recipe to your taste so that you don’t even taste the banana.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup Frozen Banana (I used sliced ripe bananas)
  • 1-2 tbsp plant-based milk (I used almond)
  • 1 tbsp cacao powder

Optional

  • 1tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cacao nibs
  • liquid stevia or agave syrup

STEPS

  1. Using a powerful Blender (I used a Nutribullet) blend the frozen banana until smooth. Add 1-2tbsp of almond milk to ease the process and pulse it at first.
  2. Once smooth, add any spices, flavourings and cacao nibs and blend further. The cacao nibs reinforce that chocolate flavour.
  3. Spoon the Nice cream into a bowl and top with granola and fruits or any nuts and seeds of your choice.

Other good flavour combos are Acai and frozen blueberries, coffee and cacao nibs, strawberries and coconut flakes. I hope you try out this recipe and let me know how it goes. This is great for dessert or even for breakfast! Thank you for reading and please like and follow for more delicious recipes, xoxo.

Healthy Banana Oat Muffins

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These healthy muffins are a great breakfast or snack option. They’re delicious and soft, gluten, dairy and sugar free. This recipe makes for 3 servings but you can easily double it.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1/2-3/4 cup oats
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Optional

  • 1/2 scoop protein powder
  • 1tsp pumkin seeds / any seed
  • 1/4 cup blueberries

STEPS

  1. Blend the banana, egg, oats, cinnamon, vanilla and protein powder in a blender.
  2. Spray a cupcake pan with some coconut oil or line with cupcake moulds.
  3. Pour the batter evenly into the moulds and top with any seeds or fruit you like. Some good options are; chia seeds, cacao nibs, coconut flakes…
  4. Bake at 180ºC for 10-15 mins, use a fork to check and if it comes out clean then it’s ready.

I hope you try out this recipe, thank you for reading and please like and follow for more healthy recipes, xoxo.

Healthy Grocery Haul List (Quarantine 101)

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During our current global situation, it’s often difficult to get a sense of staying healthy when stocking up has become the main priority of a lockdown. This is why I made this grocery list, to help you save time and have a good structure of what to buy. This is what I based my grocery haul on so here it is.

PROTEINS (easy to store/freeze so stick to your usual)

  • Chicken Breast
  • Beef
  • Eggs
  • Fish- Salmon/canned tuna
  • Beans/chickpeas
  • Plant-based meats
  • Protein Powder

CARBS

  • Quinoa
  • Gluten-free Pasta/ veggie pasta
  • Potatoes/ sweet potato
  • GF flour for baking bread etc.
  • Oats

FATS

  • Milk – almond, oat or any plant-based milk
  • Olive oil/ Coconut oil/ Avocado oil
  • Almond Butter
  • Nuts – almonds, walnuts…
  • Seeds – pumkin, chia

VEGGIES & FRUIT (Buy mostly Frozen)

  • Bananas (easy to freeze)
  • Frozen fruit- berries, mangoes
  • Broccoli
  • Baby carrots
  • Stir fry veggie mix
  • Spinach

SNACKS

  • Popchips
  • Popcorn
  • Fruit/nut bars or protein bars (Lara, Quest, Rawbar)
  • Dark chocolate (Sweet switch)

ADD ONS

  • Coffee/ teas
  • Coconut Sugar
  • Honey or any sweetener of choice
  • Carb Smart Chilli Sauce
  • Carb Smart 1000 island dressing

I hope this is helpful in any way possible, you can add or leave out anything from the list and customise it for your own needs, this is just to give you a basic guideline. Thank you for reading and stay safe, xoxo.

Gluten Free Bread Recipe

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This delicious bread recipe took time to perfect, but it was definitely worth it. Now a basic necessity in my day to day life, I feel like no one should have to give up on bread. Unfortunately, sometimes bread isn’t the best thing for our nutrition or fitness life, which is why I decided on the alternative; a gluten and dairy free option. So here’s how to make it…

First of all it is important that you have the gluten free flour blend; I used a wholefoods’ gluten free all purpose flour which contained rice flour, potato flour, tapioca flour, chickpea flour and xanthum gum. However any blend of with similar ingredients should work the same.

INGREDIENTS

  • 500g flour mix
  • 10g yeast/ 2tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt (I used pink Himalayan)
  • 2 tbsp sugar or xylitol (I used coconut)
  • 365ml milk (I used almond)
  • 1tsp vinegar
  • 2 eggs
  • 60ml olive oil

STEPS

  1. Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast
  2. Mix together the eggs, milk, vinegar, and oil.
  3. Fold in the flour, use a mixer on low for a few minutes or until there are no lumps.
  4. Place the dough in a loaf tin lined with baking paper or oiled and leave it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
  5. Optional: Add any seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, chia…) on top of your loaf) for extra taste and healthy fats.
  6. Bake the dough for 40-45 minutes at 220ºC or until a fork comes out clean.
  7. Leave to cool on a rack and store in the fridge before slicing.

I hope you try out this bread recipe, it is one of the easiest ones I have ever tried. Please like and follow for more recipes like this one, thank you for reading, xoxo.

Healthy Konjac Noodle Soup

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Konjac noodles, also known as Shirataki noodles are made from the fibre of the root of the Asian Konjac plant. They are 97% water and are extremely low in calories and carbs, which make them ideal for weight loss. Moreover, since it is full of fibre, it keeps you fuller for longer and studies have shown that it has prebiotic properties that improve the gut flora.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 portion of konjac noodles
  • 100g of chicken breast or beef
  • 1 cup chopped bok choy
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1tbsp garlic and ginger paste
  • 1tsp lemon zest
  • 2tbsp chopped spring onion
  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • 1 sliced red chilli or chilli flakes
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

STEPS

  1. First heat some olive oil in a pan, add the onions, garlic paste and chilli and stir until the onions turn translucent.
  2. Add the cubed chicken/beef and sauté until browned, this is when you can add any other ingredients you’d like such as mushrooms, broccolini or carrots. Add any spices as well as salt and pepper.
  3. Add the stock and let it simmer on medium heat.
  4. Drain the noodles and rinse them in water. Heat a pan on medium heat and let the noodles dehydrate for 5 mins or until all the water has evaporated. Stir them regularly to prevent them from shrinking if they’re cooked for too long.
  5. Add the noodles into the soup and the bok choy, close the pan with a lid for a few minutes so that the bok choy wilts, but does not overcook.
  6. Lastly add the spring onion and lemon zest.

This is one of my favourite recipes to make on the weekends, so I hope you try it out and follow for more healthy recipes, xoxo.