All posts tagged: flaxseeds

Breakfast Crumble Bars & Herbal Infusion

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What a great way to start the day! ‘It’s like having pudding for breakfast!’  This recipe is so beneficial for maintaining and supporting digestive health and they certainly pack a punch!! Read on after the recipe to find the health benefits.  I’ve paired the Crumble Bars with a herbal infusion (‘tea’) containing a soothing blend of herbs, also great for hydrating the gut. Certainly not exclusive to breakfast you can enjoy these crumble bars anytime.  A perfect mid morning or afternoon snack, great as a pudding or you could even wrap one up for a packed lunch or as a great healthy snack for the children to take to school. If you need to follow a gluten free diet just make sure to use gluten free oats. Makes 9 pieces 3 eating apples 1tsp ground cinnamon 6 Medjool dates, pitted, about 100g total weight 75g coconut oil 3tbsp maple syrup 100g ground almonds 100g rolled oats 50g pumpkin seeds 50g sunflower seeds 50g ground flaxseeds salt Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Wash, quarter, core and coarsely grate the …

Fresh Pineapple & Turmeric Smoothie

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  Quick and easy to prepare, this amazingly coloured smoothie provides a mildly spiced, warming start to the day, perfect for chilly Autumn/Winter mornings! The cucumber and coconut water give a refreshing and quenching base to the smoothie and the body and punch comes from the pineapple, ginger and turmeric. If you’re not sure about having turmeric for breakfast then add a little less and gradually build up the quantity you use, allowing your system and tastebuds to get used to it. If you’re keen to add more veggies to your diet, then throw a handful of spinach in as well! This recipe was developed to support joint and bone health as part of my Diploma in Culinary Medicine. You can read on at the end to see what benefits each ingredient may bring.  If you can get fresh root turmeric, peel and finely chop a generous teaspoonful instead of the powder, but be careful, it stains everything in sight! If your pineapple is really ripe, consider using the core, as this contains more of the …

Berry & Toasted Chocolate Granola Pots

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  These delicious little pots make a perfect start to the day. All the preparation can be done the day before, making it a very quick and easy breakfast to put together. You could even layer it in a jar and take your breakfast with you. I love having a jar of the granola ready made, in the cupboard, it keeps well stored in an airtight container or jar. I like the fact that it gains its sweetness from a small amount of dark chocolate and the natural sugars in the berries. A perfect summer breakfast or brunch! Make this a perfect gluten free breakfast by using gluten free oats. This recipe formed the first part of a days menu I had to design for the module on the Heart & Circulatory System in my Diploma in Culinary Medicine. Read on, at the end, to find out why the ingredients I’ve included are heart healthy and how they can benefit the body. I’m lucky enough to be writing this as I sit overlooking Mylor Creek, one …

Very Berry Smoothie

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I’m really enjoying this smoothie packed full of zingy berries, kefir and subtly flavoured with a hint of coconut. It makes a perfect breakfast, is great after a run or I have may have one as a quick lunch when I feel like something light and refreshing. It perfect for those times when you need a little energy boost or pick me up. I’ve recently discovered kefir after being told to try it by a good friend of mine. It’s a cultured milk packed full of good bacteria which are amazing for your gut and supports digestion, metabolism and your immune and nervous systems as well as being beneficial for skin, bones and muscles! So if it does all that then I felt I had to try it! You can make your own kefir by using live kefir cultures, mine were passed onto me by the same friend, but you can buy them online where there is loads of information and videos to help you learn what to do. I’m having mixed results at the …

Ginger Banana Bread

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We all like a sweet treat every now and then, and some of us more than others! But what if that sweet treat became a nutritious snack that delivered benefits to our bodies as well as instantly satisfying that sweet craving? Having tried other gluten free cakes I’ve often been disappointed either by a dry solid texture or discovering that the wheat flour alternatives will have your blood sugar levels reaching sky high! It makes it all the more exciting to share this Ginger Banana Bread, it has an amazingly moist texture and great flavour. This really is so quick and easy to make and I don’t think anyone will realise its gluten free! So these nutritional benefits? Well it doesn’t contain any refined sugars (no blood sugar peak and slump to deal with), is gluten free and can be dairy free if you opt for the coconut oil in place of the butter.  We get added fibre from the flax seeds, good fats and protein from the nuts and antioxidants from the cacao. Buckwheat flour …

Festival Bars

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With the festival season in full swing and everyone beginning to enjoy even more time outdoors, I was inspired to make a bar that I could take out in any weather and enjoy a natural energy treat with no guilt! I wanted to create a bar that had great taste, massive health benefits to refuel long days and nights and colour to remind me of the vibrance of a festival. I’ve added plenty of nuts and seeds for protein, good fats, minerals and vitamins. Flax seeds for fibre. The dates add a good natural energy kick which shouldn’t spike your blood sugar levels. Ginger for a real zing on the taste buds as well as the benefits it gives in supporting digestion and settling the stomach! Goji berries which are great for supporting the immune system and add the most amazing specks of vibrant orangey red and finally the cacao is packed with great essential minerals, antioxidants and also contains some caffeine! So these bars certainly pack a punch. They’re great as a breakfast bar, a …