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Banana, Coconut Breakfast Pancakes with Strawberry Kefir

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panckaes

One of the questions I get asked the most is what to eat for a healthy breakfast.  Many people want to avoid the sugar-loaded cereals but have a breakfast that will convert even the fussiest of children, so I present you with.. pancakes!  I appreciate that Mum’s with a few mouths to feed might not have time to make these in the morning but these are certainly worth the effort at the weekend!  If you ask my daughter what her favourite food is, she will definitely say “Mamma’s pancakes” (maybe interchanged with sausages).

I serve these pancakes with kefir yoghurt, it is one of the most potent fermented foods that you can consume, full of probiotic goodness, we consume daily to keep our gut flora full of healthy bacteria.  This yoghurt can be made from either kefir grains or a starter culture but if you haven’t started fermenting yet, I would highly recommend buying some coyo from your local supermarket, a coconut milk based yogurt. *Please note coyo does not provide a therapeutic strength probiotic to repopulate your healthy bacteria but it does provide a delicious alternative.

Linseeds (sometimes called flaxseeds) provide a really healthy addition of nutrients to breakfast. Unfortunately they are not the best source of Omega 3 as many health proponents claim because your body is not very efficient at converting Alpha-Linolenic Acid (in linseeds) into EHA or DPA, the types of Omega 3 in the body.  They do however provide plenty of fibre and magnesium which is good for digestive health.  They also contain lignans which have estrogenic properties so they are really helpful for menopausal women.  Linseeds want to be freshly ground to retain maximum nutrition once they are exposed to air they lose much of their value.

Tip: Make sure your bananas are really ripe for his recipe so this is great way to use up those really black ones that are left in the bowl.

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Banana Coconut Breakfast Pancakes with Strawberry Kefir
Author: 
Recipe type: Banana and Coconut Pancakes
Cuisine: Breakfast
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • 2 very ripe bananas mashed
  • 1 tablespoon of coconut flour
  • 2 heaped tablespoons of almond butter
  • 1 tablespoon of whole linseeds
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
  • 5 strawberries
  • 1 cup of kefir yoghurt or coyo
  • Cacao nibs for decoration
Instructions
  1. Blend the bananas, flour almond butter, flax seeds and eggs together using a food processor or hand blender to create a batter
  2. Heat a skillet or frying pan on low and add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil to the pan
  3. Drop 1 heaped tablespoon of the batter into the pan to form rounds, I normally cook 3 at the same time
  4. When you start to see little bubbles forming in the middle they are ready to flip and cook the other side
  5. Pour Kefir yoghurt or regular coyo yoghurt into a liquidiser with the strawberries and blend
  6. Pour on top of the pancakes and sprinkle with cacao nibs

 

 

Spaghetti Squash Bolognaise

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spag-bol

Autumn time is the season for squash, although butternut squash is readily available in supermarkets, you will hopefully be able to find a spaghetti squash too.  This squash is named spaghetti because when it is cooked the flesh can be pulled away like the pasta and if you think this won’t fill you up like regular pasta, think again!  It contains roughly the same amount of fiber as pasta but with all the added nutrients such as vitamin A and potassium.

This one was delivered in my Abel and Cole Organic box but keep your eyes peeled for this versatile squash.

spaghetti-squash

After you cut the squash in half and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, you just need to use a fork to gently pull away the fibrous vegetable so that it appears  like spaghetti.  It doesn’t taste quite like pasta, (courgette noodles are probably closer to the texture of pasta) but it makes a great accompaniment to bolognaise and the perfect way to add in an extra portion of vegetables.

squash-with-fork

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Spaghetti Squash Bolognaise
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 large spaghetti squash
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 teaspoon of coconut oil
  • 450g of grass-fed beef mince
  • 2 cups of veal stock (beef stock could also be used here)
  • 2 cloves of crushed garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon of sea salt
  • 1 tin of tomato paste
  • 4 large tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon of oregano
Instructions
  1. Finely dice the onion, cook in a large saucepan in the coconut oil until soft on a medium heat, remove from the pan and set aside to stop the onion from further cooking
  2. Add the mince to the pan and cook till fully browned, about 10 minutes
  3. Add all the other ingredients including the onion
  4. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 40 minutes, stir occasionally.
  5. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and put in the oven for 30 minutes, remove the seeds and use a fork to pull the squash apart like spaghetti.
  6. Plate up and serve.

 

Blackberry Ice Cream

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blackberry-ice

Wild blackberries are still everywhere, the warm September weather keeps them coming so go out and pick plenty and fill your freezer.  It’s fun to do with children, eating as you go and the best part is it’s free!  I posted this ice cream picture up a little while ago and lots of you have been requesting the recipe and it couldn’t be simpler.

If you want super nutrition then pick the fruit that’s wild, wild varieties can have up to 10x more minerals than cultivated.  They are packed full of vitamins and antioxidants, as well as fibre and the best part is they are very low in sugar, much lower in naturel sugars than other fruit so they wont fluctuate your blood sugar levels.  Their beautifully rich colour results from high flavonoid content and has been shown in studies to prevent against cancers, aging, inflammation and neurological diseases.  Berries are also very high in vitamin C so great for your immune function.

I like to add blackberries to smoothies, yoghurt, I’ve even made a delicious sauce with rhubarb and dates to go with meats but one of my favourite ways to consume them is ice cream.  I bought an ice cream maker for about £20 on special offer so they needn’t be expensive but they’re a great investment I’ve used mine a lot.  I don’t want to miss out on ice cream but I also don’t want to consume the sugar loaded ice cream available in supermarkets.

Quick tip: I ferment my double cream so that my daughter can consume it because dairy affects her eczema but you could also use coconut cream instead.

blackberries

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Blackberry Ice Cream
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Ice Cream
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Wild blackberry ice cream
Ingredients
  • 2 cups of blackberries
  • 500ml of double cream
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon of raw honey
  • 250ml of milk of your choice (I use kefir but almond milk or coconut milk would also be good choices)
Instructions
  1. Put all ingredients into a blender
  2. Add to an ice cream maker and follow the instructions

Spiced Pork belly with griddled asparagus and hollandaise sauce

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Spiced-pork

Asparagus is very much in season at the moment, readily available in all the supermarkets and I adore asparagus.  Asparagus is packed with nutrition, it is full of fibre and is a naturel source of folate which is used for the development of red blood cells and supporting the nervous system and most well-known for its supplementation when pregnant as folic acid.  It also has strong antioxidant capabilities containing a compound called glutathione which is also found in avocados and kale but has been shown to negate free radicals in the body to protect cells against cancer and the aging process.

pork-belly-2

This recipe will test your fear of fat, but don’t be nervous of eating fat especially these ones that are very healthy, natural fats.  One of the biggest myths to loosing weight is that we should only be eating the whites of an egg and discarding the yolk but this is very bad advise because this is actually the healthiest part of the egg to eat.  Choose your eggs wisely and eat organic eggs, you are only adding about 20p to the price of your egg but there is a substantial difference in taste and nutrition.  An organic egg will come from a chicken allowed to roam and peck at the grass, the egg subsequently laid contains a high % of omega 3 fats, it’s kinder to the chicken and kinder to your body too.  The colour from these eggs, as you will see in the picture is also a much more vibrant yellow yolk and it tastes far creamier.  This sauce is very easy to make, it takes 5 minutes maximum and is worth every minute.

Pork belly is incredibly reasonable to buy and once you’ve added some spice very easy to cook too.  Nothing better than a crunchy piece of crackling!

Tip:  Hold the asparagus at either end and snap it, you will break off the edible longer piece and leave the tough woody part in the other hand.

 

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Spiced Pork belly with gridded asparagus and hollandaise sauce
Author: 
Recipe type: Main course
Cuisine: Spiced pork belly
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • Pork belly
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon of sea salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • 12 asparagus
  • 1 tablespoon of EV Olive Oil
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • ½ a lemon
  • Handful of rocket
  • Parmesan shavings
Instructions
  1. Make a rub with the cumin, turmeric, pepper and a pinch of the sea salt and rub all over the pork belly both sides. Place on a sheet of greeseproof paper and put into the oven on 200 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn down and cook for a further 1 hour on 180 degrees.
  2. minutes before the end turn your griddle pan on and allow it to heat up (you can just use a frying pan if you don't have a griddle), when hot add a little olive oil and put asparagus crossways against the griddle lines and roll over every minute to create a beautiful slight charring on the skin. They take about 3 minutes to cook so not long.
  3. Pour boiling water into your blender and tip out, this will enable you to cook the eggs while you're creating your sauce.
  4. Add the egg yolks and lemon and blend with the lid on and mix.
  5. Melt the coconut oil and butter in a pan and add slowly to the blender whilst it is on a lower setting for blending. Keep blending for a couple of minutes while the sauce thickens.
  6. Serve a generous chunk of spiced pork belly with hollandaise sauce, griddled asparagus, rocket and a few shavings of parmesan to top (I just used my potato peeler). Enjoy.

Flapjack Squares

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energy-squares

I’m always looking for delicious, easy to prepare food that’s portable and these are dangerously moorish!  The best bit is I’ve packed them full of healthy fat and some, dare I say it, superfoods.  These are perfect if you need an exercise pick-me-up or something to tide you over to the next meal.  They’re also great to take out for children as a snack.  They’re naturally sweetened and take about 10 minutes to prepare.

We love goji berries in our house, if you’ve not tried one, they’re more intensely sweet than a raison and I love them on yoghurt for breakfast or even a few on my salad.  They’ve been used in Chinese medicine for centuries for high blood pressure, eye health, diabetes but more recently have been shown to increase metabolism and boost energy levels so perfect when you need a hit of energy in the day.

Cacao nibs are the creme de la creme of chocolate, these are cacao beans that have been roasted, separated from the husks and broken into nibs so with very little processing.  If you eat them from the bag they almost taste more like a nut than chocolate but add them to naturally sweetened goods and the wonderful chocolate flavour comes through.  More places are now selling these wonderful pieces of chocolate, I get mine online but many supermarkets now stock them too.  This is chocolate that you have permission to eat with absolutely NO guilt attached because they are full of minerals, fibre and antioxidants and provide a very healthy saturated fat.

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Energy Squares
Author: 
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 16
 
Quick go to energy snacks packed full of healthy fats
Ingredients
  • ½ a cup of desiccated coconut
  • ¼ cup of pecans
  • 1 tablespoon of almond butter
  • 3 tablespoons of coconut oil (melted)
  • 1 tablespoon of goji berries
  • 1 tablespoon of cacao nibs
  • 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds
  • 4 dates
Instructions
  1. Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until a rice grain consistency
  2. Pour contents into a parchment lined small cake tin, i used a brownie tin and smooth out so even. You could alternatively roll into balls and place on a plate.
  3. Refridgerate for at least 1 hour so the coconut oil hardens, then take out of fridge and cut into squares and place back in the fridge or freezer ready for eating.

Gooey Chocolate Nutty Squares

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Choco-squares

This is the perfect sticky, gooey bit of yumminess that you want for Easter.  They don’t require any baking and if you and your family want to avoid refined sugar these are the perfect substitute.  These were made in the quest to find something that my daughter could eat instead of an Easter egg.  Due to the special diet healing her eczema, she is unable to eat any refined sugar, sometimes this is challenging but the consequences for her are worth all the effort and when I offer up these she doesnt seem to mind!

These are super rich and very chocolatey so cut them up small and try not to devour them in one sitting.  I usually freeze a few as soon as I make them so I’m not tempted.

I use organic raw cacao in my recipes, you could substitute with cocoa which is more readily available but as previously mentioned here it doesn’t have as many health benefits as cacao which is an unprocessed chocolate so if you get the chance, order some online and make your chocolate baking even healthier.

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Gooey Chocolate Nutty Squares
Author: 
Recipe type: Chocolate
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 18
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup of cashews
  • 1 cup of medjool dates
  • ¼ of macadamia nuts
  • 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon of raw cacao
  • ½ a teaspoon of vanilla powder or extract
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1 large bar of dark chocolate (I used pure cacao but an 85% would work as well)
  • 3 tablespoons of coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon of raw honey
  • 2 tablespoons of flaked almonds
Instructions
  1. Cover the cashew nuts in water and leave to soak for an hour
  2. Cover the dates in boiling water and leave to soak for an hour
  3. Drain both and add to a food processor with the melted coconut oil, cacao, vanilla and salt and process until you have a smooth paste, incorporating when needed, this takes 3-4 minutes
  4. Add the macadamia nuts and pulse until roughly chopped
  5. Tip into a parchment lined small baking tray and smooth out with a palate knife
  6. Melt the dark chocolate on a bain-marie and add the honey and coconut milk and pour on top of the base smoothing out
  7. Toast the flaked almonds in a dry frying pan, flipping lightly until golden brown and decorate on top of the chocolate.
  8. Refrigerate for a couple of hours and then lift out and cut into squares to devour.

 

 

Kale Crisps

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Kale-crisps

For all you crisp fans, this is as close as you’ll get to a crisp, while eating healthily and requiring very little effort so definitely worth trying.

I’ll be honest, chocolate is my food of choice but we seem to fall into 2 camps, chocolate or crisp lovers i.e. craving sweet or salty.  The problem with crisps isn’t so much the fried potato, it’s the fact they are nearly always cooked in vegetable or sunflower oil, making them highly toxic to our body.  The other issue I have with them is that they are smothered in table salt which ultimately loses all nutrient minerals that natural salt contains.

It’s kale season at the moment and kale is the highest nutrient dense vegetable there is, so there’s a pretty good reason to eat more of it.  Kale is a great source of vitamin K, vitamin C, manganese, calcium and copper.  What many people don’t know about green leafy vegetables is that the nutrients are easier to absorb by the body when eaten with fat, how perfect is that!  Pair your kale with extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, I’ve even made it with beef dripping before although it sticks heavily to the leaves, sprinkle with sea salt and you have the perfect snack.

Tip: You want to cook these on a low heat so that you get the ultimate crispy texture.

Tip: Store them in a tin lined with parchment paper and a few grains of rice to keep them crispy for a few days.

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Kale Crisps
Author: 
Recipe type: Sides
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Quick healthy alternative to crisps
Ingredients
  • Large bag of Kale
  • 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon of sea salt
Instructions
  1. Wash the Kale leaves and dry thoroughly, I try to do this in advance and let them dry out on a tea towel.
  2. Remove the leaves from the stalks
  3. Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan and allow to cool slightly
  4. Put the leaves in the oil and massage into the leaves to coat fully (be careful not to burn your hands)
  5. Put the leaves on parchment paper on a baking tray
  6. Cook at 140 degrees for 20 minutes
  7. Sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy!

 

Cauliflower Pizza Crust with Chorizo and Mozzarella

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chorizo-pizza

I never particularly liked pizza as a child, the thin based crusts were ok but they always left me feeling bloated and uncomfortable after and so I stopped eating them.  If you know me well, you’ll know there are not many foods I don’t like, a few that I now avoid but not dislike…

Then I came across cauliflower pizza bases and I’ve suddenly fallen in love with pizza.  This is the perfect recipe for children, the main ingredient is cauliflower and shhh… they will never know!!  Cauliflower is full of fibre and vitamins, especially vitamin K and is an anti-inflammatory so if you’re body is in an immune response, (swelling to protect) it can counter this and help you heal.

I’ve seen lots of complicated recipes for pizza bases but I wanted to keep it simple, most people don’t have the time to spend ages making pizza bases.  It takes me about 10 minutes to make this base and if I chop a whole cauliflower, I save the rest and use it as an alternative to rice (another great substitute).

These are some of my favorite toppings, I’ll post some other combinations soon but be creative and enjoy discovering your favourite pizza variety.

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Cauliflower Pizza with Chorizo and Mozzarella
Author: 
Recipe type: Pizza
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Super simple pizza base, ready for your favourite toppings!
Ingredients
  • ½ a cauliflower
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup of cheddar cheese
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • Black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of oregano
  • 1 tin of tomato paste
  • 1 onion
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • ½ a chorizo
  • Handful of black olives
  • 1 mozzarella
  • ½ teaspoon of chilli flakes (optional)
  • Handful of basil leaves
Instructions
  1. Use a food processor with a chopping S-shaped blade and chop the cauliflower till it looks like very small grains of rice, you want about 2 cups of the "rice"
  2. Mix the rice in a bowl with the 2 eggs, cheese, oregano, salt and pepper
  3. Take a pizza tray or baking tray and use a little olive oil to grease the pan
  4. Take handfuls of the mix and press out on the baking tray to form a round, the ingredients will seem wet but don't worry the bases will firm up as they cook, you should have enough to make 2 bases.
  5. Cook the bases for 15-20 mins till golden on 180 degrees.
  6. While these are cooking, cut the onion in half and slice and cook in the butter until translucent
  7. Spread the bases with tomato puree or your own home-made tomato sauce
  8. Add the rest of the ingredients and add back to the oven for 5 minutes for the mozzarella to melt, enjoy!

Warm Beetroot, Squash and Chicken Salad

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beet-squash-salad

The weather is getting warmer and more spring like and I feel like eating salad again.  I used to hate salad as a child, my Mum is really good cook but salad would quite often be iceberg lettuce, a tomato and some cucumber which put me off salad for some time (sorry Mum, can I still come to dinner Sunday?!).  Then I started learning about the power of raw vegetables, how the living enzymes in these phytonutrients (powered by the sun) have the ability to renew your skin cells so can actually make you look younger.  When you’re over 30 this starts to become a concern so I had to learn to love salads!  Actually now I really do but they do have to be exciting salads or I actually think I’d rather go hungry!

I had this salad when the beetroot and squash were just out of the oven so still warm but it was just as nice cold the next day so make extra portions and save some of the dressing.  It has a lemony dressing so a real citrus punch, the beetroot were roasted in a balsamic and rosemary glaze so were nice and sweet and the feta cheese adds a salty partnership.

roasted-beetroot

Tip – Rather then try and peel the squash raw which can be a little tough, I cut mine in half and put it flesh side down on a baking tray with a little olive oil on the skin.  Once the squash was roasted for 20 minutes the skin was easy to peel off and chop.  I used a kabocha squash but you could try alternatives, butternut squash perhaps.

I used apple cider vinegar in the dressing, you could use another but I would highly recommend purchasing and consuming this vinegar on a regular basis, it has some pretty clever health benefits.  Apple cider vinegar is fermented so has probiotic qualities, it has been shown to help with weight loss over long-term periods by stabilising blood sugar, rebalance acidic abnormalities and it’s good for your hair and skin so definitely worth using in your salad dressings.

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Warm Beetroot, Squash and Chicken Salad
Author: 
Recipe type: Salad main
Cuisine: Salad
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
A delicious warm salad for a sunny spring day
Ingredients
  • 5 beetroot
  • 1 kabocha squash
  • 2 little gem lettuce
  • 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
  • 2 roasted or grilled chicken breasts
  • 5 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
  • ½ feta cheese
  • 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup of rocket leaves
  • ½ a lemon
  • 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
  • Some freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of sea salt
Instructions
  1. Peel and chop the beetroot and put in a baking tray, coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and rosemary leaves and roast for 30 minutes
  2. Put the squash, halved, flesh side down in the oven with 1 tablespoon of olive oil rubbed on the skin for 20 minutes, peel and chop
  3. Use the little gem lettuce as the base and add the other ingredients
  4. For the dressing put 3 tablespoons of olive oil, a squeeze of half a lemon, pepper and sea salt in a container, I use a jam-jar and give it a really good shake and drizzle on top.
  5. Hope this salad inspires you!

 

Parsnip Fries

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parsnip-fries

Who thought healthy eating entailed going without fries?  We just need to switch it up a little so throw out that bag of processed fries in the freezer and have a go at making these instead.  Cooked in coconut oil with a little kick of spice, you don’t have to feel any guilt eating these because they are my healthy alternative.

These fries would go perfectly with a big juicy steak or maybe even a salmon steak, add some of my watercress pesto and you have the perfect home cooked meal for any day of the week, easy peasy!

I use Cayenne pepper on these fries for a little extra spice, depending on how hot you like the heat increase or decrease the amount accordingly but it’s certainly worth adding a little.  This little spice is renowned for its powerful medicinal qualities, used for pain relief, prostate cancer, lowering blood pressure, it even speeds up your metabolism so it should definitely be a valued addition to your spice collection.

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Parsnip Fries
Author: 
Recipe type: Side dish
Cuisine: Side
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Side vegetable dish, perfect to go with meat or fish.
Ingredients
  • 2 large parsnips
  • 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
  • ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Instructions
  1. Peel the parsnips and cut into thin slices the size of fries
  2. Melt the coconut oil either in a pan or I melted mine on the baking tray for a minute in the preheated oven.
  3. Coat the parsnips in the oil and spices and put in the oven on 200 degrees for 10-15 minutes until slightly golden.