Carrot & courgette bars of loveliness

Carrot cake is one of my weaknesses… nice cup of rooibos and a freshly baked carrot cake. I’m not talking about the coffee shop versions that are a little too ‘mainstream’ for me (makes me sound like a right twazzock, doesn’t it?!). One of my old work friends used to bring in a gorgeous carrot cake that her mum made… oh my heavenly taste buds. What a freaking delight and joy. There’s something about the freshness of the carrot, the blend of gorgeous spices and the little pockets of sweetness that make it a melt-in-your-mouth orgasm. Yum. I was never too crazy about the icing though (any icing actually)… it was a little too sweet for me and felt like it would plaster itself directly on my waist or hips. Hips smeared in icing might be your kind of thing, you kinky minx, but it ain’t mine.

So with my mind occasionally frolicking off in a carrot cake day dream, it was bound to make it’s way into my recipe collection at some point. I’ve been looking for a lower carb snack bar that I can share with my clients (and for me too, obviously!) in my 4 week fat blitzing programmes. And so when I stumbled across a courgette muffin recipe that I could adapt and change to make a healthy version of carrot cake, I jumped at it! (And if I had a bowl big enough, me and my hips would be swimming in it too…. mmmmm…)

Carrot & courgette bars of loveliness

Now I’m not a baker. It just doesn’t come naturally to me. So one of my absolute rules about things that I try to bake is that they have to be EASY. And these beauties are…. They’re quick, easy and relatively cheap. Not unlike some of the girls I went to school with! 😉 (I’m kidding ladies, you’re all well classy chicks and I love you enormously).

So here’s the recipe! It’s dairy free, grain free and refined sugar free… but tastes yummy. And it’s good for you (although not if you eat the entire batch in one sitting. Don’t do that.) I’d love to see some pics if you make them – just tag @NutriBelleUK in them on Facebook or Insta!

Carrot & courgette bars
Makes 6-8 bars

Mix all the ingredients together

1 cup grated carrot (roughly 1 medium carrot)
1 cup grated courgette (roughly ¾ medium courgette)
2 eggs whisked
1 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of nutmeg
Bit of allspice
1 tbsp honey
1 cup ground almonds
1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup sultanas and dates
2 tbsp seeds

• Pre-heat oven to 180C
• In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients (except the seeds) together well.
• Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Tip out the carrot mix and pat down to fill in all the corners. You want it to be around 1.5cm thick. Sprinkle over the seeds across the top.
• Bake for up to 25min, or until the mix is set and is golden.
• Leave to cool, then cut into bars or squares. I got 6-8 good sized bars from this.

If you’d like to talk to about how I might be able to help you lose weight, gain energy and generally just feel a whole heap better, brighter and more balanced, why not book in for a free 30 min chat? Just click HERE to access my online schedule and book your slot. I work with people near and far to help them get in control of the way they eat and build healthy new habits.

And you can sign up to my newsletter for regular healthy eating hints, tips and recipes HERE.

Courgetti comfort: veg-packed and awesome!

Back in the day, before I realised that you could actually eat real food to be healthy (and didn’t have to limit yourself to rabbit food), my go-to comfort food to warm me up was a big bowl of greasy pasta. I’d eat it when I was feeling miserable, despite the fact that pasta is one of my IBS triggers and would leave me in an even more miserable state! Go figure, right?! ‘Ah shame Bella, I know you’re feeling a bit under the weather right now, here’s something to make you feel even more like crap!’ …. Not so clever. But how often do we do that?

So now, my comfort food is something that’s actually going to comfort! It’ll nourish and love and give me an inner cuddle, instead of a sharp kick to the intestines. Huzzah! This little beauty was invented initially because it was pissing down with horrific rain and I just wanted something to warm me up – and I had a shed load of green veg in the fridge that needed using up! And thanks to my trusty spiralizer (it was top of my Christmas wishlist!), this is super quick n’ easy – although you can absolutely make this by peeling the courgettes too!

I’ve also just recently discovered Umami Pepper… oh my! I freaking LOVE this stuff!! Umami is the ‘fifth taste’ – the other 4 are sweet, sour, salt and bitter – and it gives such a great flavour to dishes. I got mine from Tescos – I’m not sure where else it’s being stocked. It’s an awesome way to add a bit of ‘je ne sais quoi’ to your dishes! If you don’t have it, this recipe will work fine with normal black pepper instead.

Ingredients

Courgetti, chicken and greens… Rammed with veg and yumminess

• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 chicken breast, cubed
• 1 slice lean back bacon
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• lots of umami pepper
• chilli flakes to taste
• dried basil
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• large handful green beans, sliced
• large handful asparagus spears, cut into rounds except for the spear heads
• 2 large handfuls sugar snap peas, sliced
• 2 tbsp mozzarella, cubed
• 1/2 large courgette, made into noodles

Nice and simple – melt the coconut oil in a pan and add the chicken and then the bacon and cook gently until the chicken is white all over. Season well with the umami pepper, chilli and dried basil. Add the garlic and stir to coat and soften slightly. Then chuck in all of the veg except for the courgetti and stir fry for a few minutes until the veg has softened and is cooked. Add in the mozzarella and the courgetti and literally just stir through to coat in the seasoning before serving.

So tasty, so quick, and perfect for an inner cuddle. 🙂

This is the penultimate 5 a day recipe in the #May5aday series! What do you want to see for the final recipe?? Something sweet? Something savoury? I hope you’ve been consciously trying to up the amount of fruit and veg that you’re eating!

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Sweet Moroccan Stew – love n’ beans for your 5 a day fix

So did anyone try the Glorious Green Smoothie? Are you doing more to make up your 5 a day? This week, I’m sharing an old favourite of mine. It’s something I came up with for dinner with the girls – I’d given up my job in London, had very little spare cash, but still wanted to see my friends and be able to do something nice for them. This dinner was perfect – it’s so simple, cheap to create and doesn’t mean that you’re slaving over a hot stove – plus it’s filling and GOOD FOR YOU! Not quite the 5 a day corker that the smoothie was, but it whacks in a whopping 3 ½ – 4 portions, including a portion of beans, which are packed full of fibre! I also served it as the wholesome and nutritional sustenance for our gorgeous bunch of yogi’s that joined me and Ellie from YogaByEllie at our yoga retreat in April. It certainly got the thumbs up from them! And the Spring Cleaners have loved it too – and so, I thought I’d let you all join in the love-fest for this bean-filled beauty!

Cookin’ up a mountain of Moroccan stew love for the yoga retreat!

Here’s what you’re getting from this oozing pot of love:

Red onion & garlic: both of these are part of the allium family, which are rich in sulphur-containing compounds (yep, that’s the gorgeous smell!) and are packed full of antioxidants, polyphenols and flavonoids that help protect us against a huge range of illnesses and disease. They’re also awesome for boosting our cardiovascular health and bone strength and are packed full of anti-inflammatory qualities.

Turmeric: another anti-inflammatory superhero… it’s been used in Chinese and Indian medicine for centuries to treat a wide variety of conditions.

Red peppers: have over 300% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C which keeps your immune system healthy. They’re also a good source of beta-carotene which the body converts into Vitamin A to keep eyes and skin super healthy.

Courgettes: They’re rich in magnesium and potassium, which help normalise blood pressure and can help prevent the build-up of bad cholesterol in the blood.

Chickpeas & butter beans: Not only do they count towards your 5 a day with just 2-3 tbsps, but they’re also packed full of fibre and so great for your intestinal health.

AND, just to top it all off – this little beaut is an awesome freezer meal. Cook once, eat 4 times! Dinner ready in 5 mins flat! Amazebeans. Do you really need any more persuading to get your ass in the kitchen to make this? It’s a perfect #MeatFreeMonday meal. Get stuck in!

Sweet Moroccan Stew

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 2 tsp coconut oil
  

  Spring Clean Sweet Moroccan Stew with Greek yoghurt & avo!

• 1 red onion, diced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 large courgettes, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tin chickpeas, drained
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 veggie stock pot/cube + 500 ml water (more may be needed)
• ½ cup red lentils
• 2-3 tbsp raisins
• 2-3 tbsps chopped dates (or add more raisins)
• 1 tin butter beans
• 1 tbsp honey (optional)

Melt the oil in a pan and slowly cook the red onion and garlic in a pinch of salt

Once soft, add the turmeric and paprika and cook to release the fragrance and flavour of the spices.

Add the diced courgette, pepper and chick peas and mix well to coat in the spices.

Add the tin of tomatoes, puree and veggie stock, then stir in the lentils, raisins and dates. Leave to simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally.

Check that the lentils are cooked,  give them a little longer if needed and add more water if it’s looking parched, then add in the butter beans.

Stir through and add the honey if needed, then leave for a final 5 mins or so to thicken up (if your mix is very runny, then turn up the heat, or alternatively, add another handful of lentils which will soak up the juices as they cook and expand.

This works perfectly served on it’s own, with or without a dollop of Greek yoghurt and some creamy avo slices, but you could also serve it up with brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat or couscous if you’d like. Have an extra portion of green veg or salad on the side to really earn your 5 a day halo!

Delish! Let me know if you try it!

#MAY5ADAY – think you’re up to the fruit & veg challenge?

I’m passionate about a lot of things when it comes to healthy lifestyles – the benefits of drinking water, the importance of eating clean and real food, going back to basics and avoiding packaged junk, the effect that strength and flexibility can have on your overall mental and physical state… those are just a few. But perhaps one of my biggest passions is helping people to reach (and hopefully exceed) their recommended 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. The benefits of eating more of the plant-stuff are REAL, I promise you – just ask the peeps on my Spring Clean programme!

The UK’s recommendation is that you eat 2 portions of fruit and 3 portions of vegetables a day – that ratio is because fruit is higher in sugar than vegetables, and veggies tend to have a broader range of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals which can help protect us from diseases. In Australia, the recommendation is 2 portions of fruit and 5 of veg a day. And despite originally starting with the World Health Organisation’s recommendations of 5 a day, countries like Denmark (6 a day), France (10 a day) and Japan (a whopping 13 a day – 4 from fruit and 13 from veg) have upped their recommendations over the last few years. So our piddly 5 a day seems like child’s play in comparison! Surely we’re cool enough to play with the grown ups?

The scary thing is, so many people aren’t even reaching our small recommendation. I think that’s probably for a number of reasons:

Are you getting your 5 a day?

• I think there’s a lot of confusion about what a ‘portion’ actually is. “Hurrah!”, you think, “I’ve scoffed a satsuma – that’s one of my portions!”… Erm, no. Sorry. That’s half a portion. Check out the box opposite for what a portion looks like
• “Jacket potato in my gob, that’s a portion of veg!” – nope, I’m afraid not! While potatoes are definitely vegetables, they don’t actually count towards your 5 a day because they’re a starchy carbohydrate. So unless you’re loading your spud with salad or beans, you need to rethink that one!
• Squishing the juice of out fruit only counts as one portion, no matter how much not-from-concentrate, no-added-sugar goodness you think you’re drinking! See, when you squelch out the juices, you leave behind the pulp that contains all the nutrients and leave yourself with the liquid sugar. And, even more of a shame, this ‘one portion of juice’ rule doesn’t apply to wine. Oh how we wish it did.
• Sadly, I think some people find fruit and veg boring, or they have a phobia about the textures, tastes and other things. Okay, so school dinner cabbage (which I strangely loved as a kid and used to swap my ice cream for people’s cabbage), might be to blame for that – but there’s such a HUGE variety of different fruit and veg out there, and a gazillion ways to cook them and incorporate them into our diets – you’ll surely be able to find a way that you like to eat things. It’s sometimes just a matter of trying something new.

Tag your fruit & veg pics!

So I want to set a little challenge for you all in May – #MAY5ADAY – and a bit of a challenge for me too!

Every Monday in May I will share a recipe that helps you up your intake of fruit and veg. Your part of the bargain is to make a conscious effort to reach your target – and get involved by tagging me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and use the #MAY5ADAY.

Of course, the easiest way for you to kick this challenge into touch would be to sign up for my May Spring Clean intake. You’ll be given meal plans and recipes that will help keep you on the 5 a day path – and you’ll get a whole heap of other benefits from the healthy food too. You can find out more HERE.

What say you? You in?

7 tips to have a happy and HEALTHY Easter holiday

It really does feel like we’ve just gotten over Christmas (just me?) and yet here’s Easter already, come to tempt us with its family holiday treats and goodies! Easter food in my family was always mainly about gorgeously warm hot crossed buns (one a-penny, two a-penny) with butter sinking into them and about the hearty family roast dinner. But I do know that the Easter bunny likes to deposit loads of chocolate eggs – and the supermarket shelves seem to heave with a ridiculous number of choices – and have you seen the SIZE of some of them?!

So chances are, the Easter bunny is going to be ‘forcing’ you to eat a bit more than your fair share of chocolate and other waistline-expanding goodies this long weekend… not to mention the extra tipple or four that is mandatory for celebrating a Bank Holiday! So how can you still enjoy all these vices but still make sure that you’re not straying too far into ‘the land of chubs’? I’ve got a few little tips to help!

1. Don’t buy a heap of chocolate. I know that there are often deals that entice us into spending a small fortune on a mountain of sugary goodness. Sounds simple enough, but if you don’t buy huge amounts, it won’t be in the house and you’re less likely to be sneaking into the kitchen to raid the choc-supply at strange hours.
2. Opt for the healthier kids on the block. Dark chocolate is a tasty treat and, in small quantities, it’s even good for you! Make sure that you’re opting for the 70% plus cocoa content to reap the benefits though. You can also choose cacao chocolate bars from places like The Raw Chocolate Company – cacao is basically the raw, unprocessed version of cocoa and is often mixed with natural sweeteners to make sin-free chocolate goodies! Another one of the new healthier types of chocolate doing the rounds at the moment is the tummy-loving Oh So chocolate – it’s Belgian chocolate with probiotics which are the good bacteria that look after and nurture your gut.
3. Make your own hot cross buns. I’m definitely going to be trying out a recipe for my own healthier homemade hot cross buns… I’m not much of a baker, but I’ve been eyeing out the shop bought versions since they came out (in, like, February??). I’ve spotted this recipe which uses wholemeal spelt flour and oats to pack the buns with fibre, and cuts out refined sugar… sounds right up my street! I’ll keep you posted on progress!
4. Make sure you’re keeping active. Brave the elements and drag everyone out the house! Go for a walk or a hike, organise a football/touch rugby match with your mates, dance til dawn, or get sweaty at the gym… Make sure you EARN those extra calories. And if you have little ones, why not set up an obstacle Easter egg hunt… kind of like Tough Mudder, but with eggs involved – Tough Egger?!
5. Stock up on healthy goods. Ironically, real Easter bunnies tend to prefer carrots, lettuce and foods that are waaaay healthier than chocolate! Make sure that you have lots of fruit out on display, ready for people to snack on. And if you’re cooking a Sunday roast, make sure that you pile your plate with the healthy, colourful vegetables rather than the beige spuds and Yorkshire puds…
6. Don’t beat yourself up. This is all part of family life and you’re allowed to enjoy it! Decide in advance what ‘treat’ you’re going to have and then draw the line at that. Don’t let the guilt send you into a spiral of indulgence. Make your choices and be proud of yourself for sticking to them!
7. Book in for my 4 week Spring Clean programme. Starting just after Easter, on 13 April, I’m running a 4 week Get Lean Spring Clean programme to shed off the layers of winter and help you feel better and brighter – more energy, less sludge and a perfect way to avoid that overindulgence spiral! Find out more info and book your place HERE. Go on, get booking!!

I’d love to hear about your Easter adventures – why not share in the comments box below, or swing by my Facebook page to tell your stories!

Did you know that I’ve also just started a newsletter? You can subscribe to receive the odd healthy morsel from me here.

The brilliance of bums, boobs and other bodily parts!

I was luckily to be taken away on a lovely long weekend in Spain a couple of weeks ago, for nutritional purposes, obviously – essential for topping up my vitamin D levels (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!). Walking through the sea of bodies soaking up the late summer rays on the beach, I was intrigued and fascinated by the different shapes and sizes, different levels of health, tone and vibrancy. My other half was fascinated too, but mainly cos a group of gals had decided to go topless *rolls eyes*…

Now obviously a tan helps people’s bodily confidence. But my beach meander highlighted to me the importance of feeling comfortable with your body. How many of us are truly happy enough to wear nothing more than a few triangles of clothing and a smile?

I think we spend so much time beating ourselves up for not having the ‘body beautiful’ that we forget to appreciate the great work that our bodies actually do. Yes, it’s probably true that each of us has room for improvement and a few things that we could do make us feel better. But have you actually considered what you inadvertently ask your body to do for you on a daily basis? Can you give it the credit it’s due?

Just as the wrinkles that we gain as we get a little older can be kindly attributed to ‘laughter lines’, a reminder of the happy times we’ve had, so the extra jiggle or stretch mark might be a gentle reminder… Your body might have made another human being, or you were so enveloped in the comfort and love of a new relationship that you didn’t notice the ‘love handles’ slipping onboard for the ride. Even the extra weight you gained during a particularly difficult patch in your life… All of them are a reminder that you’ve created, loved, battled and LIVED. And that’s a damn fine thing to be proud of.

But having said that, there’s a fine line between accepting our bodies for what they are, being grateful for what they’ve got us through and treating our bodies badly. Don’t get complacent and mistake acceptance for down right laziness. Fuel your body right, give it the nutrients it longs for. Stop feeding it crap. We genuinely are what we eat. So if you can’t read or recognise the ingredients on a label, you probably don’t want to be putting it in your mouth. Respect yourself enough to treat yourself right. Cos that body of yours deserves it. HELL YEAH!

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On a slightly different note, I’m thrilled and excited to announce that NutriBelle, my nutritional coaching business, will be up and running in the next month! If you’d like to work with me in December or the new year, please drop me a note at

bella@nutri-belle.co.uk

xxx

Why you (and your inner diva) NEED to eat breakfast

My mum used to find it highly amusing that, as a toddler or grumpy teen, I always had the same morning ritual. Haul my ass out of bed (usually under great duress) and head straight for the breakfast table in a zombie-like coma. Must. Eat. Food. And slowly, but surely, with each mouthful of whatever it was, the human(ish) Bella would emerge and I’d leave the table a brighter and sunnier person (or so I’d like to believe!).

Turns out, I was setting myself up for an awesome habit that does me a power of good now that I’m a proper grown up (again, so I’d like to believe!). While I know that there are several of you out there who will argue that you can operate fine without breakfast, science backs up the fact that to get your body working properly throughout the day (not just at the beginning of it) then you need to start it right. And that means you need to break the fast and EAT! Preferably something healthy and filled with the good stuff. Don’t believe me? Here are 4 reasons why you need to find a way of starting the day right:

1. Manage your blood sugar levels. While you’re sleeping, your body is working away digesting all the food that you’ve eaten the night before. So when you wake up, there’s very little trace left of the nutrients in your blood stream and just the *ahem* remains waiting to be pooped out. And your blood sugar levels will be low enough to make you comparable with a grouchy grizzly. By gently raising your blood sugar levels first thing, you’re helping to manage your hunger levels throughout the day – leave it too late and chances are you’ll be reaching for a high calorie, high sugar ass-kicker snack mid morning because I’M-STARVING-AND-IF-I-DON’T-EAT-I-WILL-DIE (yep, low blood sugar may result in you turning into a melodramatic diva.) So give your metabolism a wake up call, get some stability in your blood sugar levels, and start the day as you mean to go on. And leave the diva at the door.

2. Wake up your brain. After a night’s sleep your brain cells will be running on empty – they need energy from the food you eat (that’s the glucose from complex carbohydrates) to refuel. Without that refueling, your brain will struggle to operate on all cylinders, which means that processing information or managing complex challenges (so things like forming and retrieving memories) are all a little bit too tricky. But by giving your brain the boost that it needs through food, it’s all set to be bright and alert and all those other things that you’d probably find life easier with!

3. Get your vitamin fix. Grabbing some fruit, yoghurt, and wholegrains for breakfast is a sure fire way to make sure that you’re getting a swift vitamin shot. It’ll pump you full of vitamin B for maximum energy and keep your immune system healthy with vitamins A, C and zinc. And that diva that you left at the door? She’ll be replaced by the happier version thanks to a lift in your seratonin levels. Happy shiny people!

4. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I’ve waffled on about the importance of drinking enough water before and breakfast is a great place to start. I like to down a glass of the good stuff first thing to help make sure that my body has the fluid it needs. And don’t forget that pile of digested poop waiting for you to wake up… water will help with that too! But you can eat your water too – fruit is packed full of it! Don’t get too attached to strong caffienated drinks though – that diva might make a re-appearance.

UGH FINE… But I don’t have TIME.
Just because you need to kick start your system doesn’t mean you need to labour over a mammoth feast, or get up a gazzilion hours earlier to create some exquisitely complex sensation for your taste buds. When it comes to my top 3 breakfasts, taste and simplicity are key. I tend to eat mine either at my desk or before I leave the house. Either way, I don’t have a lot of time to hang about faffing over the preparation. Sometimes, that means getting things prepped the night before. Trust me, that little bit of effort can make morning life a whole load more peaceful!

Fruity yoghurt-to-go: This is a night-before-er. Half-fill a Tuppaware with frozen berries (I prefer the mixed ones). Chuck 20-40g of oats on top, spoon in some Greek yoghurt and sprinkle with a tablespoon of milled seeds/nuts. Takes you 3 mins to make. Then all you need to do in the morning is remember to take it with you! And there you have a vitamin-packed breakfast, super tasty, with all the nutrients.

Smashed eggs on toast: Sounds like a palava, really isn’t. Stick your toast (wholegrain, or sprouted if you can!) on while you’re heating a pan with a tsp of coconut oil. When the pan is hot, crack in 2 eggs and smash them up (it’s a less-hassle scrambled egg!) and season. Plop them (as elegantly as you can for first thing in the morning!) onto your toast. To get the full nutritional brownie points from this, whack in a handful of spinach at the same time as the egg and smash it all up together. Or just serve with some avocado or tomatoes. That’ll do too.

Chia and cinnamon oat pot: Might be flashing a few ‘health freak’ warning bells to some of you, but you can get chia seeds from pretty much anywhere these days! They’re packed full of omega 3 and are hailed as a superfood of the moment. I like to chuck a tablespoon into my trusty Tuppaware pot along with a tbsp of desicated coconut, milled flax seed, 40g oats and a tsp of cinnamon. Cover the mix with milk of your choice (I like this one with almond milk) and mix it up, ready to soak in the fridge overnight. Chia seeds start to soak up the liquid and make it go gooey… which is perfect for you to take out in the morning, top with greek yoghurt, blueberries and a drizzle of honey if it’s not sweet enough for you.

I have loads more breakfast ideas – from smoothies and pancakes to sweet bakes and savoury delights! Why not share some of yours below? Are you a breakfast lover?

Meat-free made easy: 3 tasty tips for veggie newbies

It’s the end of my meat free month. And if truth be told, I’m a little mournful. But then again, I am SO EXCITED about my simple salmon supper tonight (yep, not the massive steak that I thought I’d be devouring at one minute after midnight on 1 May)! I did genuinely love it. I had to deal with massive energy slumps and the occasional pang for something slightly meaty… but the experience was definitely more positive than I expected. I haven’t lost any weight (that’ll be the cheese then), but I haven’t gained any either. I don’t feel noticeably healthier, but I do love the new tastes and luscious goodness in the dishes I’ve been trying. And I’m also super conscious of restaurant choices when I now meet up with my veggie friends – man alive, sometimes the choices for veggies can be DIRE. Sort it out restaurateurs!

As a vegetable-lover, it wasn’t a hardship to eat more of the green and fresh stuff. But (wo)man can’t live by veg alone (well… you can… but… you know…!) So there were a couple of additional special ingredients which, although I’ve eaten regularly before, were my go-to favourites.

All hail halloumi

Halloumi became my carnivorous craving-stopper.

• On the BBQ, try skewers with halloumi and a range of veg (peppers, courgettes, mushrooms, tomatoes) marinaded in either a fresh n’ zesty lemon (zest and juice for maximum zing!), lime and mint; or for a bit of a kick in chilli, garlic and ginger with lemon juice.
• For a comfort food cuddle on a plate, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a bit of halloumi and pesto with pasta. I like to dry fry the halloumi with extra garlic (I’m a delight to sit next to the following day!) and chuck in some green stuff – whatever you’ve got going to be honest – peas, mange tout, courgette, baby brussel sprouts, green beans…. Add a couple of teaspoons of pesto (make sure it’s proper vegetarian if you’re being ultra-veggie) and add your wholewheat/gluten free pasta… Nyom.
• And another quick n’ easy delight was grilled halloumi with a cheeky little salsa of chopped cherry tomatoes, sweetcorn, spring onions and avocado with a bit of parsley, chilli, olive oil and lemon juice – I often ate this on it’s own, but it worked great with a  wholewheat wrap, pitta bread or mexican style rice.

Praise be for chickpeas!

• A stolen recipe from a friend of mine – chickpea curry, straight up and simples. Just fry up your onion and garlic, add your chickpeas, curry powder and tin of tomatoes and simmer right down… I added aubergine and red peppers to flesh it out a bit, but you could add anything that tickles your fancy!
• Chickpea salads were an awesome filling lunchtime extravaganza. With some fresh chopped tomatoes, cucumber, onions, sweetcorn, radish, leaves and a bit of a sesame oil/tahini/lemon juice dressing… you were in for a treat. Add loads of fresh herbs (I love that my herb garden seems to have survived the drowning of the winter months!) and maybe a handful of feta for a creamy boost, and all for less than £2 for a massive lunch… A prime example of why packed lunches kick ass.
• Warming Moroccan spices, mixed with onions, garlic, chickpeas and aubergine, served with a bit of couscous or quinoa, felt almost holiday-esque!

Ave avocado

Avo has always been a firm favourite of mine. Growing up in Zim they were the size of small rugby balls… none of this palm-sized malarky that we get in the UK. And the abundance of them in the tree outside my childhood home means that I am so happy with finding a gazillion things to do with avo’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner… but sometimes the simple things are the best!

• My absolute favourite breakfast (instead of the fry up that the man in my life prefers!) has long been to have avocado mashed on toasted rye bread with scrambled egg, bacon and grilled tomatoes on top. And all I had to do to vegetise (if that’s not a word, it should be!) it, was to avoid the bacon! Easy! And AMAZEBALLS.
• To me, avocado isn’t just a fruit, it’s something that can immediately take something a wee bit bland and amplify all it’s tastiness in one massive hit! So you have a mixed bean salad. Meh. Add avocado to it and suddenly you’re transported down the taste super highway! Okay, maybe not that extreme, but you get what I’m saying. And the good thing is, it’s packed full of the natural, good monounsaturated fats that are good for us… unlike cheese.
• The simplest dinner of all… and the one that kicked ass for me time and time again: the humble avocado on toast. Rye bread (I like the ultra nutty rye, but even regular wholemeal works a treat), with nothing but half a ripe mashed avo, with black pepper, a touch of salt and (if you’re feeling well posh) a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Thanks for the recipe ideas and inspiration during the month of April. I’m not going to lie, I won’t be giving up meat entirely. But I’m already quite happily settling in to my ‘more-veggie-days’ existence. Tomorrow night, the meat-eater-man is having steak, and I’ve actually opted for a bean stew. Wonders will never cease! … 🙂

 

How to work out what a ‘healthy diet’ means for you

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If you’re anything like me and you have a slight interest in keeping healthy, you would have done your fair share of reading things about how to adopt a healthy lifestyle. You may even have made some changes to your diet as a result of this… Carbs are the devil sound familiar to anyone?

I’ve spent a lot of time (and in some cases money) following trends, fads, lifestyles in the past… and yes, I’ve seen results. Me and my inner cave girl loved the lean feeling from the Paleo diet for example – you cut out all grains, dairy, starches and legumes, and basically live off the natural protein and vegetables that cavemen would have (the argument being that this type of nutritional approach appeals to our natural genetic makeup). It’s fairly similar to the Harcombe diet which says that sugar is the absolute spawn of Satan and that (good) fat is the way forward (so again, basically, just eat meat and veg). And there are hundreds of other ‘ways of life’ (as in ‘oh hell no, this ain’t another diet, this is a way of life man!’) that undoubtedly have the right kind of reactions and suit an awful lot of people. But not me.

My problem with these different lifestyles is that I just couldn’t make them stick – the extremist in me just couldn’t make it work. So I’d follow the rules religiously for a few months, lose weight and feel good…. but then it would all come crashing down around my feet (my arse that is), as I couldn’t sustain it. There are a number of reasons why, and they all sound like excuses:

• I didn’t have the time or desire to bake my own healthy paleo snacks that didn’t really taste like the things I was actually longing for
• I was doing it on my own with little support except for the online community I’d found
• There were RULES man, RULES. And lots of them. Who wants to follow rules?!
• PMS vs paleo…. PMS wins. Hands down.

I could go on, but you get my drift. And for everyone of my friends who have had some amazing success with other ways of life, man like WeightWatchers, Slimming World and all that jazz, there are other friends who have given up all hope in a point-counting whirlpool of frustration. So I’m guessing I’m not alone.

When I started this nutrition course, I was faced with the Eatwell Plate. The actual nemesis of someone like Dr Zoe Harcombe. It says we should EAT CARBS *GASP*! And, not only that, it makes allowances for foods high in FAT and SUGAR *DOUBLE GASP*!!!! I can’t tell you how this screwed with my mind… I was genuinely torn. I’d just committed to doing a course that went against everything I’ve spent the last few years of my life believing.

But then as I carried on with the course, I think I got it. You only need to watch programmes on TV like Secret Eaters to realise that the majority of the population are incredibly naive when it comes to understanding the basics of healthy eating. And who can blame them, with there being 1,001 uber confusing messages out there. To me, the Eatwell Plate is a classic representation of everything in moderation… it’s a guide. Something to help people understand what moderation looks like, to get people thinking about what ‘healthy’ might mean for them. It’s not asking you to give up entire chunks of your diet. It’s letting you know how much of those chunks is a good/bad thing. For people who can and are able to commit to a more intensive way of life, then that’s great – if it’s working for you and you can stick to it, that’s awesome. But for others who find it difficult to wade through the sea of conflicting messages, moderation is healthier than doing nothing.

Farewell to steak… and bacon… and chicken…

The results of the poll are in! In an earlier post, I left the fate of my meat-eating habits in your hands – will I spend the month of April exploring what it’s like to be a pescatarian, vegetarian or a (*gasp!*) vegan….?

You’ve been kind – over 40% chose vegetarian. It’s farewell to fish and meat, but I can eat cheese and other dairy produce. I can’t complain about that! So despite one of my more sadistic friends voting for the vegan option so that I would be stretched to the furthest point from my comfort zone, the rest of you were a lot more considerate and are helping me makes changes in baby steps!

I’m really excited my meat-free month! I’ve not had an awful lot of time to work out some exciting recipes for this week, but I have pulled together a meal plan with a fair amount of beans and feta… I’ll need to sort that out soon else I’ll be a bored bottom-burper before long (and no one wants that!). In essence, I just need to eat a balanced diet, with lots of fruit, vegetables and wholegrains. Variety is key. But from speaking to my veggie friends and through my studies and reading, there’s also a risk of missing out on some essential nutrients. So, if I’m going to do this right, there’ll need to be a bit of planning to make sure I get the energy and vitamins that my body needs.

I’ll cover two of the nutritional pitfalls that I’ll need to be wary of in this post – these are the two more common complaints (certainly among my veggie friends!). But there will be others I’ll cover in more detail throughout the month.

Be strong like iron
Iron is essential for helping our bodies make haemoglobin – that’s the red sticky protein stuff that makes your blood red, but also, more importantly, creates red blood cells to help move oxygen around your body. Without it you risk being anaemic, breathless and severely lacking in energy. The non-meat sources of iron are slightly harder to absorb, so vegetarians in particular need to make sure that they’re getting enough. So where do you find it in a vegetarian diet? Actually there’s plenty of choice, you just need to make sure you’re getting them at regular intervals!

• Eggs
• Some fortified breakfast cereals
• Nuts and seeds
• Pulses and beans (particularly baked beans, lentils and chick peas – hello hummus!)
• Leafy green veg, kale, cress and broccoli
• Brown rice, wholemeal bread

Make sure that you’re getting enough Vit C in your diet too – it’s a handy little helper in the absorption process – but PUT THE CUPPA DOWN. Tea and iron are NOT friends.

Vitamin B12 yourself up!
Vitamin B12 is like the super DIY champ of the body. It makes sure that the general maintenance jobs around the body are done – growth, repair and general upkeep, bit of hedge trimming and mowing of the lawn (okay, maybe not the last two). But sadly for veggies, it’s only found in animal products in its natural form. So that means if you don’t eat eggs and dairy then, as a vegetarian, you’re left with the option of Marmite (and we all know that you either love it, or hate it… ) or the fortified breakfast cereals etc route.

So with those two starting points, I’m all set to start on my meat-free veggie learning extravaganza! If you have any favourite vegetarian recipes, hints, tips or ailments you’d like me to research and explore along the way, please do get in touch!