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Nutrition

Posted on October 6, 2014

6 healthy substitutes for bread

health benefits/ Nutrition

bread

If there’s anything I can’t enough of, it’s bread. I have it for breakfast, at lunch, as part of my dinner and when I’m feeling peckish – I know, talk about a bread overdose!

Since I was able to get over my cheesecake addiction (not to mention, my constant need to have coffee in the mornings), I’m pretty sure I can get rid of – or at least control – my addiction to bread.

Everyone has their own reasons for not wanting to dip their hand into the bread basket. I for one, am a firm believer that a flat tummy is made in the kitchen and if you’re able to cut down on as many carbs as possible, you’re already half way to getting a nicely toned tum.

Here are some ways to substitute bread:

Lettuce leaves
A bit cray cray? Not at all! Using lettuce leaves as a replacement for bread is a good way to get in a healthy dose of nutrients. The best part about it is that one lettuce leaf has about 4 calories – which is next to nothing!

Whole wheat tortilla
Whole wheat tortillas are another great alternative to bread since you can pretty much wrap anything you want in them. When purchasing, be sure to get a packet that doesn’t include enriched flour. You want to go for the one that says whole wheat flour.

Cauliflower base
As unusual as it sounds, you can easily make a cauliflower base as a bread substitute. It only requires four ingredients. You can find the ingredients here.

Apples for bread
I used to find it pretty odd alright: peanut butter or cheese on an apple!? It seemed pretty strange to me at the start, but I got used to it after a while. Apples are generally filling and the added toppings make you feel fuller for a bit longer . Give it a try before you judge, it actually isn’t as bad as it sounds!

Rice cakes
Rice cakes are generally fat free and low in sugar and carbs. They’re a great alternative for bread, since the toppings you decide to put on them can either be sweet (like beetroot) or salty (like salmon). Some rice cakes have additives, so be sure to check the label beforehand!

Salad
Some people (myself included) find it impossible to live without bread. However, since the things you put ON bread are usually what makes it tastes so good, you could always just throw it into a bowl and make a salad out of it!

Posted on September 20, 2014

Healthy pizza

recipes

Healthy pizza

After having devoured a not-so-healthy pizza yesterday evening, I think it’s only natural that I share this recipe with you.

Now, I’m going to have to be honest. This pizza recipe didn’t go down well with my brothers. But then again, most boys don’t even think a healthy pizza recipe should even exist so I guess that really says it all.

If you like to eat healthily but still seem to have a weak spot for pizzas (a bit like me), then this recipe is definitely worth giving a try – don’t worry, it won’t kill you!

Here’s what you need for the pizza base:

  • Half a head of cauliflower, chopped
  • 65g grated cheese
  • 5g chopped parsley
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • Salt & pepper to taste (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 230°C.
  2. Put the cauliflower in a food processor and blend until shredded (it should look a bit like rice).
  3. Boil this in an inch of water and let it cook for no more than 5 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and drain into a strainer.
  5. Transfer to a clean dishtowel, wrap it up and twist it until all the excess moisture is out. The more liquid comes out, the better!
  6. Put in a bowl and mix it with the rest of your ingredients – it’s okay to use your hands.
  7. Once the mixture begins to hold together, put it onto a prepared baking sheet (without the baking paper it will stick so make sure you don’t leave it out).
  8. Press and shape it into the pizza crust of your desire and then bake for about 20 minutes or until the crust is firm and golden brown on top.
  9. Remove from oven to add some sauce with your favourite toppings.
  10. Bake for an additional 5 -10 minutes until toppings are cooked.
  11. Slice and serve when ready.

Hopefully you get the chance to give this a try. If you’re adventurous with your pizza toppings this recipe could make for the perfect pizza – that’s what I try to tell myself anyways!

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Posted on May 11, 2014

2-ingredient juice cleanse recipe

Not so guilty pleasure/ recipes

beetroot

I have recently become obsessed with beetroot. I know, it’s a weird obsession to have, but I suppose it could be a lot worse.

Beetroots are well-known for helping the whole detoxification process. They help purify your blood and your liver, so if you’re on a juice cleanse or if you need something after a night of heavy drinking, then this is the stuff for you.

The anti-inflammatory properties of beets helps protect the skin from pre-mature aging and if you dab some juice on your face, it helps control blemishes.

If you’re a fitness junkies, then you’ll be happy to hear that beet juice helps improve stamina. So if you want to last longer during a workout – of any shape of form, then a glass of beet juice can help you do that.

If that’s not enough to get you juicing this superfood, then I don’t know what is!

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 beet
  • 1 stalk of celery
  • Water to facilitate blending

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
2. Filter the contents into a glass using a sieve.
3. Put whatever is left in the sieve, back in the blender and add some more water.
4. Blend and repeat process.

I hope you get the chance to give this recipe a try, it’s so simple make and actually tastes pretty good!

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Posted on May 10, 2014

Energising carrot juice

Not so guilty pleasure/ recipes

energising

Carrots are full of vitamins and minerals. They contain vitamins A, C and E, all needed for good eyesight, a better immune system and maintaining healthy cells – but it doesn’t end there.

Since they’re also loaded with antioxidants, a regular consumption of carrots (or this energising carrot juice) can help promote glowing skin.

You ready to get started?  Here’s what you need:

2 large carrots
Thumb-size piece of ginger
Zest of lemon
Honey (optional)

1.Throw everything into a blender with water and process it until it gets frothy.
2.Filter the mixture into a glass using a sieve or a cheese cloth.
3.Put the remainder back in the blender with more water and repeat.
4.Serve right away or keep in the fridge.

Note: Carrots are naturally sweet so you don’t need to add any honey to it. For extra hydration, you can add some celery to the juice!

Let me know how you get on with this!

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Posted on March 3, 2014

Almond butter pancakes

recipes

almond butter

With only one more sleep until Pancake Tuesday, it comes as no surprise that I’m sharing a healthy pancake recipe with you this evening.

This almond butter pancake is pretty straight forward and you will most likely have all the ingredients at home (a part from the almond butter which isn’t too pricey).

The best part about it is, it doesn’t take flour or milk to make!

So what do you need:

120g almond butter
250g apple sauce
2 whole eggs, beaten
1 tbs baking powder
1 tbs vanilla essence
1 tbs cinnamon

What to do:

Mix the almond butter and apple sauce in a bowl and then add the beaten eggs. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well. To make the pancakes you can either fry as you normally would or you can line grease proof paper and bake them in the oven at 260ºC for 10 mins or until cooked.

This batter makes about 7 pancakes so if you want more you will have to use more ingredients! Let me know whether or not you decide to give these a try 🙂

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Posted on February 23, 2014

Oat bran muffins

recipes

2014-02-22 14.02.59

I love porridge. I have it every morning and it wouldn’t be the worse thing to have in the evening (if need be!). So you can only imagine my disappointment when I opened a packet of what I thought was porridge and found oat bran instead – not the best feeling in the world.

Thankfully, I found a few healthy recipes that include oat bran in them. I decided to give oat bran muffins a try and being the rebel that I am, I also added a few of my own ingredients to it:

300g oat bran
100g brown sugar
50g honey
2 tbs baking soda
2 tbs oil
2 eggs
250ml milk
vanilla essence
cinnamon

2014-02-22 14.04.41

The mixture is pretty easy to make. Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and then mix the milk, oil and eggs until well combined. Put spoonfuls of the mixture into muffin cases and cook at 220°C for 15 minutes.

A mini oat bran muffin has no more than 170 calories, which, might sound like a lot for some, but I think it’s perfect. It’s also much better than your average chocolate bar. But if you’re a calorie counter, then I wouldn’t advise you have one of these everyday. Like anything, moderation is key!

Since I managed not to throw in some avocados into this recipe, I believe congratulations are in order 🙂

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2014-02-22 14.08.05

Note: This recipe makes up to 28 mini muffins but with medium-sized muffin cases I’d imagine you’d get about 14 out of it

Posted on December 23, 2013

Home-made almond milk and it’s beauty benefits

recipes

home-made almond milk

A non-dairy alternative to milk is something that a lot of people look for- let’s face it, with obesity at it’s high, and many “unfortunate” enough to be lactose intolerant , everyone is on the look out for healthier alternatives when it comes to food.

Of course with the New Year only days away, I’m nearly certain that the majority will be “turning over a new leaf”  (myself included), so to get ahead start, you can use this quick recipe as a replacement for regular milk – a food that can cause weight gain and trigger acne 

What you need:

1 cup of almonds
4 cups of water
honey to sweeten (optional)
1 drop vanilla essence (optional)

Steps:

home-made almond milk

1.Blend the almonds and water until it gets frothy
2.Filter the mixture into a glass (or jar) using a sieve
3.Put what ever is left in the sieve back into the blender with some water and repeat 
4.Refrigerate for a couple of days

5 beauty benefits to drinking almond milk:

Helps in weight loss. A serving of almond milk milk has nearly half as many calories as a serving of regular milk, so this is a guilt free milk (in moderation of course)

Helps build muscle. It contains vitamin D, calcium, and many chemical properties such as iron which is responsible for muscle repair. So if you’re not a fan of protein shakes, a glass of almond milk should do the trick!

Antioxidant. Almond milk is enriched in vitamin E, a well known antioxidant which protects the skin from damage caused by the environment. Replacing almond milk with regular milk will help promote glowing skin.

Oil regulation in the skin. It contains essential fatty acids that help control how much oil is released by sebaceous glands. This can reduce how much oil is trapped and clogged in the pores.

Hydrates the skin. It can be used as a topical solution for dry and flaky skin. Properly moisturised skin can prevent premature aging.

Note: Almonds, like many other nuts are high in Omega 6 (too much of it can cause high blood pressure) so remember everything in moderation!

I know Alpro do a nice almond milk, but making it yourself works out a lot cheaper…..so now that you know how to make almond milk at home, there’s no reason why you should go back to drinking that fat injecting regular milk right?  it’s your call!

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home-made almond milk

Posted on December 12, 2013

Home-made protein bars

recipes

homemade protein bars

I’m excited to finally have my first recipe up! I know, it’s long overdue, but I guess I’ve just been a bit distracted by all the pretty makeup – you can’t exactly fault me for that, now can you? 🙂

Initially, I planned to have an avocado smoothie recipe up for my first food post, but since there aren’t a lot of avocado fans out there, I’d have to make some alterations to that recipe before sharing it! So for now, you’re getting the next best thing….home-made protein bars!

Last night I uploaded a picture of my protein bars in the making and got a lovely comment saying the mixture looked like poop – nice!

I’ll have you know that it does NOT look like poop, and more importantly, it doesn’t taste like it either! If I’m honest, it’s a lot better than your average protein bar (or chocolate bar for that matter)  especially since you control what you put in it so it’s a lot safer as well.

 homemade protein bars

What you need:

  1. 250g cup of peanut butter
  2.  85g of oats
  3.  300g of honey
  4. 70g cup dried fruit/chocolate chips
  5.  50g chopped hazelnuts (optional)
  6.  2 scoops protein powder

Note: You can throw in your favourite seeds and nuts into this mixture, it all comes down to personal preference!

Get started:

1.Mix the honey and peanut better in a saucepan over a low heat.

2. Add the oats  and mix through.

3. Throw in your dried fruit/chocolate chips with nuts and then keep mixing.

4. Add the protein powder (a lot of mixing I know)

5. Flatten the mixture into a greased tin.

6. Cut through and refrigerate overnight.

Tip: Wrap each bar in tin foil and keep them in the fridge – great way to pack them up and bring to work/college

I used to have one of these after the gym, but now I think it makes for a tasty snack- could even work for breakfast as well.

I’m not trying to get ahead of myself here, but my father, (who absolutely ADORES Snickers) told me my protein bars taste like Snickers – I know right!  I think this recipe will give Snickers a run for their money – in the health world anyways!

Do have a go at it and let me know what you think, but so far, I’ve had nothing but positive feedback on these 🙂

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Posted on May 19, 2013

Not so guilty pleasure: Dark Chocolate

Guilty Pleasures/ Nutrition

not so guilty pleasure

I never thought I’d ever see the day I’d praise something that I don’t even enjoy eating! It’s not very like me to recommend the things I don’t like, but I guess I’d have to be fair once and a while so my promise to you is that I will not impose any of my personal feelings towards dark chocolate in this post (not intentionally anyways), instead, I will just give you cold hard facts on the benefits of consuming dark chocolate!

Just so we’re on the same page, I must say that if you really want to enjoy the health benefits of dark chocolate then you would have to be looking at the ones that contain over 70% cacao; the darker the chocolate, the less sugar and milk it contains and the closer it is to cacao, the secret behind it’s health benefits.

Cacao is probably one of the main sources of health benefits from the consumption of dark chocolate. The reason being that it produces neurotransmitters in the brain such as dopamine and serotonin which are associated with feelings of well-being and happiness…..

Do you see where I’m going with this???

It’s a natural anti-depressant! So don’t be afraid to indulge yourself with a bit of 70%+ if you’re feeling kinda down!

Alright so now you’re thinking, ”it might help me with my mood and I wouldn’t feel as down if I take a few squares of it, but what about the fat? Isn’t it as fattening as all the other chocolates out there???” I’m afraid not!! The fat that is in dark chocolate comes primarily from plants so it would be a lot healthier for you. It contains the fatty acid that is also found in olive oil and this promotes antioxidant activity and also prevents heart disease. So as long as you look for a dairy-free bar (which would contain more of the bad fat),  I can assure you that you have nothing to worry about if you’re taking these in small doses!

What about the beauty benefits?

Dark chocolate contains an antioxidant called flavinoid which are usually found in plants such as the cacao plant. These bad boys are associated with the anti-aging effects in the skin and the flavinoid found  in dark chocolate are greater than the antioxidants found in some berries. So if you’re feeling guilty about passing on the fruit salad the other day, you can forgive yourself!

Lastly, these flavinoids also absorb UV light which helps protect your beautiful skin from the sun. It also increases blood flow to the skin which improves your complexion and keeps your skin well hydrated.

Now that you know that dark chocolate isn’t all that bad, you no longer have to make this a secret pleasure. Just remember, the more bitter the chocolate, the higher the cacao content and the better it is for you! 🙂

If you’re not convinced, here’s a few more articles that you can read:

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/benefits-of-chocolate

http://www.rd.com/health/healthy-eating/3-health-benefits-of-dark-chocolate/

http://www.naturalnews.com/031959_dark_chocolate_antioxidants.html

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Posted on May 1, 2013

Guilty pleasure #1: Caffeine

Appearance/ Guilty Pleasures/ Nutrition

Something tells me that there’s a few coffee worshipers out there who are now dreading to read the rest of this post. Not to worry, I’ll keep this as short as I can (which isn’t always easy for me to do, but I’ll try my best!)

We all know the list of foods/drinks which contain this addictive drug(yes it’s a drug,don’t look so surprised!). The list is endless really, to name a few, coffee, energy drinks and chocolate would be the most common sources of caffeine. Since my new respect for chocolate has motivated me to write a POSITIVE  ”guilty pleasure” post on it, I’ll leave chocolate out (For the most part anyways) and instead, I’ll focus on the other two (bare in mind that I’m a recovering coffee addict so there’s no judging here….)

Now, I can go on and on about how the consumption of coffee and energy drinks increase health problems for both male and female, how they increases blood pressure which leads to heart problems or how they both contribute to blood sugar problems. But that really isn’t my focus. (And I’m not exactly your doctor!)

My primary focus is on beauty (Surprise surprise!!) and here are the main reasons why I think you should avoid taking these products:

the affect of caffeine on your appearance

1.It speeds up the aging process.
Caffeine accelerates aging because it contributes to the decline in the production of hormones that are usually produced ‘in riches’ during youth. As well as this, it dehydrates your body which sucks all the water from your skin cells and as a result it causes wrinkles and sagging.

2.It affects sleeping patterns.
Because caffeine is a stimulant, it keeps you awake for longer which in turn makes you sleep less, and as Sleeping Beauty already informed us, no sleep takes a toll on your overall appearance and reflects very badly on your face.

Still not convinced? Well how about this one…..

3.Say Cheese!
This alone should be a reason to cut down! Not only is it visible on your face, but too much coffee/energy drinks reflects very badly on your teeth!! You might think that by adding milk or cream to your coffee, you would prevent your teeth from staining,but sorry to burst your little bubble there but white coffee would still contain the same pigments and acids as black so it doesn’t really make much of a difference!

Now that that’s all said and done, I’ll let you go enjoy your cuppa. After all, coffee addicts have always been the toughest to crack! Just don’t say you weren’t warned though!

Hope you enjoyed reading my post.  Feel free to comment below 🙂

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