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Banana Coffee smoothie Recipe

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This simple recipe stemmed from my love of coffee and smoothies, it is vegan and gluten free. The flavour was exactly what I wanted, so if you’re tired of your usual smoothies and need a caffeine kick, give this a try. It can be a breakfast, snack or a pre-workout meal in my case, the best part is you can modify it by adding any vanilla protein powder you like.

I like adding cacao nibs and chia seeds at the end of making my smoothie because it adds fibre and nutrients, but also because I enjoy the texture. If simply drinking a smoothie is fine for you then you can omit this last step, but personally like the crunch.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 frozen banana
  • 1/2-1 cup almond milk (or any plant-based milk)
  • 2 tsp instant coffee or 1 shot of espresso
  • 1 tsp cacao nibs or cacao powder
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 1/2-1 Scoop protein powder (I used Organifi’s Vanilla)

STEPS:

  1. Blend frozen bananas, coffee, almond milk, protein powder and cacao nibs in a powerful blender. (I used my nutribullet)
  2. Pulse your blender if needed.
  3. Pour in a glass and mix in the chia seeds.

I hope you enjoyed this blogpost, thank you for reading. Feel free to like and follow for more recipes like this one, xoxo.

3 Healthy Breakfast Ideas

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Breakfast is definitely my favourite meal of the day, so much so that I have breakfast for dinner at times. Breakfast can be identified as a morning meal but really it’s whenever you have your first meal of the day as you are breaking your fast. I like to workout in the morning so I need proper fuel before that and I usually alternate between these three meals during the week, they are filled with clean, nutrient-dense ingredients and they are pretty easy to make. So here are my weekly Go-To’s…

APPLE PIE OATMEAL

What you’ll need:

  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup almond milk (or any plant based milk)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 small apple diced or grated (without skin)
  • honey (or any liquid sweetener)

Method: – Let your oats cook on the stovetop with the almond mill and water, add the cinnamon and apple after 1-2 mins. Once the oatmeal is cooked top it with honey, cinnamon and apple slices.

HEALTHY FRENCH TOAST

What you’ll need:

  • Gluten Free Bread (You can find a recipe here)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 1tsp vanilla
  • Coconut oil/ Butter (non-dairy free option)

Method: – Combine the egg, almond milk and vanilla, heat your frying pan and spray some coconut oil. Dip your bread slice into the mixture and place onto the pan. Cook evenly on both side on a low-medium heat until the sides are golden brown. Top with fruit and honey.

CHIA PUDDING

What you’ll need:

  • 2tbsp chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup plant-based milk
  • 1tsp vanilla extract
  • honey or any liquid sweetener

Method: – Leave the chia seeds to soak with the milk and vanilla overnight. The next morning top it with some fruit, coconut flakes and nuts/seeds or with some granola, here is the recipe if you’d like to try it.

I hope you enjoyed this post and try one of these recipes. Thank you for reading and please like and follow for more xoxo.

Photos from Unsplash 

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.

How To Deal With Physical Setbacks

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Be it an injury or limitation, physical setbacks are sometimes the most trying on not only our fitness and health lifestyle but on your mental health as well. Lately, I had to take some time off due to a physical injury for the first time ever and it was hard to go through, which is why I decided on writing this blogpost…

Tip #1 Try to remain active in any way possible

Unless you are severely injured or on bed rest, it’s beneficial to be active, if not immediately then when you feel slightly better. However, please remember to consult your doctor about your injury and what kind of physical movement you’re allowed to perform. If you have an arm injury for example, you can still go for walks and train legs.

Tip #2 Start small

I had a back injury a few months ago and did not work out at all for 1 month and when I started again, it was only walking and a few arm workouts. When you’re recovering, do not rush into your workout, you will only hurt yourself more, take it easy for at least a week, you will gain your strength again due to your muscle memory.

Tip #3 Nutrition

Do not try to severely cut your calories to make up for not working out, you will only slow down your metabolism. On the same line of thought, do not binge eat your stress away, instead stay constant with your healthy eating habits, your body needs it to recover.

Tip #4 Breathe and Don’t fret

The worst thing for me was the guilt; I wasn’t active for a month and I was afraid that I was losing muscle and progress and that all my hard work would go in vain. But that was clearly not the case, I built my strength back up in 1-2 weeks and got stronger. So don’t let the stress get to you and keep your mind busy with other things such as; reading, music, art or anything that interests you and is stimulating for your brain.

Hopefully, this helps you during your recovery, thank you for reading and please like and follow for more posts.

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.

High Protein Pancakes

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These pancakes are perfect for when you’re craving something sweet, but still need to get that protein in. This is often my go to breakfast because, let’s face it, carbs are life! Super easy to make and you can find most of the ingredients in your kitchen. Feel free to tweak this recipe and experiment with flavours and toppings to make it your own.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 banana
  • 1 scoop protein powder (I used Organifi’s Vanilla)
  • 3-4 tbsp oats
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon

STEPS

  1. First blend all the ingredients together, you want a slightly thick consistency and add the oats accordingly.
  2. Spray a frying pan with some coconut oil and allow it to heat up, the pancakes cook pretty fast so keep and eye on them.
  3. Top the pancakes with berries, honey, almond butter or any toppings of your choice.

Any protein powder should work in this recipe, give it a try and let me know how it goes. I will be sharing a post giving you healthy breakfast options very soon, so please like and follow for more recipes.

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 Hot Chocolate Recipe

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I’ve tried to make healthy hot chocolate multiple times but never got the recipe right, from it being too sweet to having a powdery after taste. However my many trial and errors finally led to the perfect mug of cocoa and the best part is that it’s super easy to make, you don’t need a frother or any special ingredient.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1-2 tbsp raw cacao powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (I used 1/4 tsp vanilla paste)
  • 1tsp honey (or agave syrup)
  • 1 1/2 cups of milk ( I used almond, you can use any plant-based milk as well)

STEPS

  1. Pour 1 1/4 cup milk in a blender and let it blend while you prep the chocolate
  2. Mix 1/4 milk, cacao, cinnamon and vanilla in a saucepan over low heat.
  3. Whisk the chocolate over low heat until it starts to thicken.
  4. Turn off the heat when the cacao is creamy and whisk in the frothed milk.
  5. Top with cinnamon or cacao powder.

There it is! The easiest, perfect hot chocolate recipe. You can definitely make this recipe vegan if you like by switching out the honey. I hope you try it out and follow for more recipes like this one. Thank you for reading xoxo.

Green Juice Recipe for Detox

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I haven’t always been a fan of green juices, mostly because it’s an acquired taste, but lately I’ve been giving it a try because I feel like my digestive system needed a boost. The best thing about a detox juice is that it has all the benefits blended into one. It’s simple and quick, but my issue has always been the high folate levels in green juices; folate is found in spinach and avocado, and it doesn’t always agree with me.

So the recipe below is a green juice for beginners, you don’t just jump onto the green juice frenzy, you ease into it.

green-juice-1654582_640.jpg

Ingredients:

  • 1 small green apple
  • 50 grams of sliced cucumber (or a handful)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tbsp matcha powder (unsweetened)
  • 1-2 cups of water

Tip: pass the juice through a strainer.

Other Ingredients you can add or substitute with:

  • ginger
  • mint
  • spinach
  • parsley
  • apple cider vinegar
  • avocado

 

The possibilities of a green juice are endless and effective if you need a cleanse for either weight loss or detox. The juice is one I make in the morning and before breakfast, I don’t usually have it every day, but if you’re trying out a detox week then this would be a good idea.

I hope you try it out and if you do please leave me a comment. Follow for more posts like this one and thank you for reading, xoxo.