Yummy Smoothie, Chia pudding & Overnight Oats Jar

It may seem like making a healthy, quick (and maybe even visually stimulating) breakfast is a difficult or time consuming task, but honestly that is not the case at all! Its actually easier than you might think.I'll show you how to make this delicious breakfast jar of nutritional goodness in no time. This layered breakfast jar has a layer of overnight oats, chia seed pudding and yummy berry smoothie. To add deliciousness and extra nutrition it is topped with fresh fruits, raw cacao nibs and desiccated coconut! No cooking required here which is awesome.

Ingredients

• ½ cup almond milk (for oats)
• 1 cup almond milk (for chia pudding)
• 1 cup almond milk (for smoothie)
• 1 banana
• vanilla extract
  
• 3 table spoons of chia seeds
• ½ cup raw rolled oats
• ½ cup fresh raspberries
• 3 strawberries
• 1 kiwifruit
• extra fruit for topping (e.g blackberries, blueberries, raspberries)
• raw cacao nibs (optional)
• desiccated coconut (optional)
• a dollop or two of organic yogurt (or vegan coyo yoghurt)

Method:

Mix one cup of almond milk with 3 tablespoons of chia seeds in a small bowl. Add vanilla extract to taste (about 1 teaspoon for me) and a little yogurt or coyo if you like a thicker pudding. Cover and place in your fridge. Next mix half a cup of almond milk with your rolled oats. Again add your vanilla as desired (you can add sweetener if you feel the need), cover and place in the fridge. Leave both overnight to set.

In the morning place your banana, raspberries, almond milk, two of your strawberries and a dash of vanilla into your blender. If using, also add your yogurt or vegan coyo! Blend together. Get your fruit ready, peel your kiwifruit and slice your strawberry.
Fetch your oats and chia pudding from the fridge. Pour your oats at the bottom of your jar or bowl (whatever you like) and then your chia seed pudding. Layer your kiwi and strawberry slices along the edges of your jar/ bowl. Pour in your fresh berry smoothie. Now the easiest part, add your toppings!
Just add whatever berries or other fruits you like on top. Sprinkle on your cacao nibs and coconut and you're done!
Now you are ready to devour your beautiful, healthy breakfast jar! Don't be afraid to play around with ingredients, there is so much you can do. Try exotic fruits, nuts, cocoa oats... whatever you want, just have fun. Hope you try this out sometime, its reeeally good.

Delicious Apple & Banana Quinoa Breakfast Muffins

Hey everyone! So today I've got a really great breakfast muffin recipe for you to try. When you're going for a muffin in the muffin you really want something that tastes good, but also will give you the nutrition and energy you need to get through the morning. These muffins have it all, quinoa, oats, fruit and sweetness. If you use gluten free oats, its a perfect gluten free breakfast. This recipe calls for apple sauce, but I have made it with warmed smooth apricot glaze before and it came out just as good. So there is definitely room for personal tweaks if you feel adventurous! They are great warm from the oven or cooled in the fridge, and easily reheated if you desire. Grab a couple from the fridge in the morning or after a hard workout session to tame that hunger!

Ingredients

• ½ cup apricot glaze or apple sauce
• 1 cup mashed bananas (three small bananas)
• 1 apple
  
• 1 cup cooked quinoa (½ cup dry)
• 2 ½ cups raw rolled oats
• ½ cup almond milk (or preferred milk, but almond is amazing!)
• ¼ cup honey (or maple syrup / agave nectar for vegan)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 extra banana for topping

Method:

Preheat your oven to 190°C ( 374° F) and lightly grease your muffin tin with olive oil. You can use another oil if you wish.
Cook your half cup of dry quinoa. Bring ¾ cup water to a boil and pour in the quinoa. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir well. Cook until  the quinoa is soft and fluffy, should be about 10-13 minutes.
Once that is done mix your apple sauce or smooth apricot glaze, mashed bananas, almond milk, honey and vanilla together in a medium bowl.  Next, in a larger bowl mix your dry ingredients and cooked quinoa. Add the wet ingredients little by little into the dry until combined nicely.
Peel and core your apple. Chop it into medium chunks and add the the mixture.
Now fill each of the muffin cups of your tin fully with the quinoa mixture. Add a couple of banana slices to each on top and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Don't forget you can store these in an airtight container in your fridge for the rest of the week. You'll be set for breakfast and/or snacks for a while. This makes a dozen breakfast muffins for me. You can experiment with additional ingredients to add extra nutrition and protein (top with almond butter, bake with added berries, cacao nibs, chia seeds, flax seed etc) Hope you try this beauty out for yourselves!

Easy Chia Seed Pudding & Fresh Berries

Looking for a breakfast that is quick, healthy, vegan, gluten free, high in fiber and vitamins and also amazingly delicious!? Well say hello my current favourite, chia seed pudding! This recipe is easy as pie, but better of course! Not only does it meet the full array of the criteria listed, but it even looks very inviting to the eye.

I'll put it out there that if you aren't the biggest fan of tapioca pudding, due to its texture, you may not be the biggest fan. That being said I have heard of people who aren't tapioca lovers saying that it is a bit different and that they still enjoy the benefits of a good chia pudding. Its not exactly the same texture but it is somewhat similar, so that must be left to personal preference.

If you are up for trying a bowl of this fantastic chia goodness then please read on! You will love how easy this recipe is. No cooking, no fuss. Just prepare your pudding the night before so it is ready to serve in the morning. For me this is food magic!

Ingredients

• 1 cup of almond milk (you can use soy, coconut, hazelnut etc. Or make it non-vegan)
• 4 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1½ tablespoons organic pure cane sugar (or any sweetener of choice)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Mixed berries or any other topping you like (other fruits, nuts etc)

Method:

This is going to thrill you, I know. Find a small bowl and combine your milk, sugar (or sweetener of choice) and vanilla extract. Add in your chia seeds and whisk together. All done! Now leave your pudding mixture to to set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours but the best results come from leaving it overnight. You can leave it in the bowl you mixed it in or anything else you like. The chia seeds will absorb the liquids, expand and create a gel-like tapioca pudding consistency. The longer you leave it to become pudding the better and thicker the pudding will be.

 In the morning grab your now set chia pudding and pour into your desired serving bowl and top with fresh berries of your choice. I love it with raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. Its also great with blackberries mixed in there or even topped with pomegranate! You can play around with your topping choices as much as you like. Oranges and dark chocolate shavings, shredded coconut, slivered almonds, whatever tickles your tastebuds.

Well I hope you enjoy this recipe and give it a go. Its a fabulous breakfast or pre-work out snack and it also makes a delicious dessert. Have fun!

Strawberry & Mint Infused Water

We all know water is very important, and it is something we really should be drinking frequently instead of toxifying caffeine and sugar filled beverages. I have heard many people complain that water is too "plain" and flavourless, or even that they don't like the taste outright.  This is terrible to hear but I hope I can persuade some of you to change your ways.

Human beings really must have water in their diet. It filters out toxins and free radicals that can lead to many illnesses. We need it for so many health reasons including skin health, avoiding water retention & bloating, maintaining proper organ function and hydration and oxygenation of our blood. A good way to motivate yourself into increasing your H2O intake is to make a fruit and/or herb infusion that will be both beneficial and deliciously refreshing - I promise!

Ingredients:

• strawberries, sliced into halves
• fresh mint leaves
• honeydew melon, cubed
• blackcurrants
• ice cubes
• cold water, preferably filtered

Method:

This is going to be so simple, you'll wonder why you never tried it before!
Firstly get out your fruits and fresh mint sprigs, wash and prepare them for use. Now get your desired jar or pitcher and place your fruits inside. You can layer them or just plop them inside, your choice. Then get out a wooden spoon (or whatever utensil you have) to reach inside the jar/pitcher and give your fruits and mint a little mash. This will cause them to release more juices and minerals into your water.

We're almost done already! Pour in some ice cubes over your fruits and mint leaves. And finally pour in your cold water. Hooray! All done, now all you need to do is put on your lid (for your jars) and leave it to chill in your refrigerator. Leave your water for a minimum of 6 hours (preferably leave overnight) so the fruits can infuse which is what we are going for here. They will release all their wonderful flavours along with their nutrients and minerals.
This is very refreshing and definately a better alternative to fizzy drinks and concentrated juices. You can mix up whatever fruits, herbs etc you like. There are so many combinations to make for both nutritional benefits and taste. I hope you enjoy your water a little bit better from now on.

Delicate Lavender Shortbread Cookies

I once shared an unconventional cookie recipe with rosemary, orange and chocolate, so I hope it is no surprise when I offer yet another unusual cookie recipe to your tables. This time I have a delicate lavender shortbread that is super easy to do. Now if you are from France, this is probably old news to you. The French have incorporated lavender into their foods beautifully, but some places have yet to discover the magic of lavender in the kitchen. Lavender is actually a member of the mint family, along with rosemary, sage, catnip and other more "common" mints such as spearmint. It is, much to the surprise of some, completely edible! It actually has a number of scrumptious flavour combinations to play with as well. You do however need to make sure get hold of culinary lavender! Although all lavender is edible you don't want a plant grown with nasty, dangerous pesticides and chemicals. Either purchase a good organic Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender has a better flavour) or grow your own, they are very easy plants to grow!

Lavender is great with citrus, vanilla, chocolate, rosemary, rose, chili and many spices. It is actually a very flexible ingredient that can be put to good use in baking, with meats (especially chicken and lamb) and is even good with goat cheese.
Along with all this, it grows into a beautiful plant that is good for attracting bees and other pollinating insects, which is always a great thing! Bees who feed on the lavender nectar make the most amazingly tasty honey too! So naturally I just had to grow some in the herb garden, and it has certainly made many bees and butterflies happy this year. As soon as the flowers were blooming I cut a few stalks with full lilac heads for drying. I set some aside for baking but also used it for making a natural perfume spray and also used some to hang in my wardrobe. But enough of my rambling, here is the recipe!!

Ingredients

• 2 cups organic all purpose flour
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons dried lavender buds (or 4 tablespoons fresh lavender buds)
• 1 cup confectioners sugar, and a little water
• ½ a lemon
• extra lavender buds for decoration (optional)

Method:

First you need to infuse your sugar with the lavender buds to create a heavenly lavender sugar. This is simple, just get your food processor or blender and grind them together until the lavender buds have broken down into the sugar. This is my favourite step because you will be greeted with a strong aroma of sweet floral lavender, heavenly!! (You can use lavender sugar in many recipes, so its worth doing this same step to make a large containers worth to keep in your kitchen for future uses next to your regular sugar.)
Next beat together your captivating lavender sugar infusion with the butter until smooth and creamy. You can do this by hand or with any standard mixer. Add the flour little by little and keep mixing to insure a smooth consistency. Roll the dough into a round and flatten slightly, wrap in cling film / plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Remove from the fridge and roll out the dough on a well floured surface. Get your desired cookie cutter and cut the cookies and place them on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Chill in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes before baking.  Bake at 300 degrees for roughly 30 minutes and leave to cool on a wire rack.
While your cookies are cooling, you can mix the confectioners sugar with the juice of half a lemon and a little water to form a thin spread. When the cookies are cool add a small dollop of the lemon spread in the middle of each cookie and smooth down with the back of a spoon. Add your lavender buds in the middle to decorate.
Leave the cookies for another 15 minutes to set the decoration. Enjoy!

Notes:

"If you don't have a blender you can infuse the sugar and lavender with a mortar and pestle"

Yummy Avocado Bruschetta

I was thinking about posting some breakfast foods seeing as I have neglected that area thus far. In keeping with the "easy, healthy and quick" theme I thought I would share one of my favourite fast breakfasts, bruschetta. There are many variations of the bruschetta for you to explore, but I'm going to share my go-to recipe I absolutely adore, avocado bruschetta with black olives and cherry tomatoes!

Ingredients

• 2 medium cut slices of multigrain bread ( sour dough & wholewheat are good choices too)
• 1 ripe avocado
• 3-4 cherry tomatoes
• 2 black olives
• 1 clove garlic
• sea salt / kosher salt
• cracked black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Firstly peel and slice your garlic in half. Rub the garlic along your 2 slices of bread. Drizzle or brush your bread lightly with the olive oil (you don't need much, so be careful not to over do it). Sprinkle with salt and black pepper before placing your bread oil side down on your grill / griddle / pan. Repeat on the other side and leave to toast on medium heat for a few minutes. Flip over to toast both sides evenly.
Slice your avocado in half and remove the stone (I do this by cutting down into the stone carefully with a sharp knife and twisting it to the side, loosening the stone easily). Remove and roughly cut up the creamy green flesh and top your bread slices. Chop your cherry tomatoes in halves or quarters and chop or slice your olives before added to your avocado and bread. Season with a little more black pepper and/or salt.
Pretty easy, yes? And completely satisfying.

The nutritional value of this simple breakfast is amazing. If you use a good multigrain bread like me you will be loading up on your iron, calcium, lignans, folate, vitamins, minerals and unsaturated fats just from your 2 bread slices alone, which is fantastic first thing in the morning as it gives you natural energy for your busy day ahead. I like to use the multigrain bread from wholefoods which is packed with goodness from sunflower, pumpkin, poppy, sesame seeds, millet flakes etc etc.
The avocado is amazing and has so many health benefits you definitely should be aware of. Not only does it contain a wide variety of vitamins (e.g vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, that have antioxidant properties) and potassium but it also has high amounts of  monounsaturated fat which helps prevent cardiovascular issues, such as heart disease and lowers cholesterol levels!
Teamed up with anti inflammatory, monounsaturated, vitamin E filled black olives and carbohydrate filled cherry tomatoes is the perfect combination to get you going in the morning. I highly recommend you try this out for yourselves and create your own variations as well.

Notes:

"For an added 'pick me up' on energy major health benefits, sprinkle some flaxseed on top"
"Not only is this a great breakfast, it is also perfect as a snack, lunch or starter."

Oven Baked Indian Samosas

So I had a  random hunger for some authentic Indian samosas. I have always adored those spicy triangles of crispy goodness. The sad looking soft samosas you find in certain grocery stores just never do it for me though. The best thing you can do is bake them for a while in your oven and hope they eventually crisp up, and the flavours are never as satisfying as an authentic Indian samosa in the end.

With that in mind I put together a fairly guilt free, yet authentically pleasing vegetable samosa recipe for you all to try out. Instead of frying them to death in lots of oil I decided to bake my little babies in the oven as a healthier alternative. They are just as tasty and bursting with eastern flavours and that oh-so heavenly aroma!

Ingredients

Filling

•     1 cup green peas
•     ¼ cup chopped carrots
•     2 ½ cups water
•     3 medium russet potatoes
•     1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
•     1 tablespoon sea salt / kosher salt
•     1 medium red onion, chopped
•     1  teaspoons minced fresh ginger
•     2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
•     1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
•     1 teaspoon garam masala
•     ½ teaspoon paprika
•     1 teaspoon turmeric
•     ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 
•      coriander/cilantro leaves, chopped
•      soya milk / diary milk
       1 egg, for egg wash

Dough

•     2 cups all-purpose flour
•    ½ teaspoon sea salt
•    ½ cup plain organic yogurt
•    ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

* If you don't have time or the needed ingredients you can use spring roll / potsticker pastry instead.

Method

In a medium saucepan add your peas and water. Bring them to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until peas are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain peas in a colander, and set aside.
Peel potatoes and boil with 1 teaspoon salt until softened. Now drain your potatoes and mash them thoroughly. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy pan and add your chopped onions. Cook until translucent, then add your ginger and stir briefly. Add your ground and whole coriander seeds and leaves, garam masala, paprika, turmeric and salt stirring just under a minute, allowing the flavours to combine. Add your mashed potatoes, peas, chopped carrots, ground black pepper, a dash of soya milk and mix evenly. Set filling aside.

If making the dough, combine ingredients and mix until dough is firm and non-sticky. On a lightly floured surface roll out your dough into a large rectangle and cut into strips. Fold over into a triangle shape and seal down the ends with a flour and water based paste with your fingers. Scoop some of the filling into your triangle and fold over again and seal withe the flour paste. Cut away any excess dough if needed.
Here is a short, but good video I found showing how to fill your samosas if my directions aren't too clear for you... Folding and Filling Samosas.
If You have bought spring roll wrappers, use the same method mentioned.

Get a large baking tray and lightly grease with olive oil or olive oil spray oil.
Place your samosas evenly in the tray and brush the tops with egg wash made with 1 part egg, one part water. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 218°C ( 425°F / Gas mark 7) for roughly 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn your samosas over and lightly brush the underside with egg wash, turning  the heat down to 190°C ( 375°F / Gas mark 5). Cook for roughly another 10 minutes.
Serve alone or with a good Indian chutney.

notes

"If you like you can add some chicken to the filling mixture while cooking the onions for a meaty samosa!"