Thursday, November 3, 2011
On My Plate....................
Did you know that whilst you are sleeping your metabolic rate slows by 5 percent
and that eating breakfast literally breaks the fast to kickstart the metabolism to its normal being???
Well I say any excuse to eat but thankfully it's true so consider breakfast a great thing to do every day. The green smoothie is everywhere so if you haven't had a try yet then start here for a dose of raw goodness.
Green Smoothie
Serves 2
Serves 2
1/2 buch organic kale, washed (leaves only)
1 mango
1 large banana
1 heaped tsp crunchy peanut butter
3/4 cup filtered water (add more for a thinner consistency)
1/2 cup ice ( i like mine cold!!!!!)
Place all the ingredients in a blender and whiz until smooth.
Don't be frightened away by a green smoothie with thoughts of "yuck" The mango and banana in this green smoothie make it very tame and far from hard core . The peanut butter also rounds out the flavour of the greens so I encourage you to give it a go and suck up all those valuable vitamins and minerals in their raw state. I figure if the kids drink it it can't be to bad. Chill factor is a must for me so don't forget to cool things down by adding ice to the mix especially now that the weather is heating up in the Southern Hemisphere (well in some places at least)
Poached eggs are a no brainer for breakfast. They are an excellent source of protein, vitamins and iron. Choose organic pastured eggs if you can find them for the reason that pastured eggs come from chickens that are free to roam and forage for insects meaning happier and healthier chickens and therefore eggs. Any readers on the Sunshine Coast can get pastured eggs from Rawganix Farm who attend the Kawana Farmers Markets every Saturday morning from 7am - 1pm
If you are into your toast then consider adding a slice of wholegrain sourdough toast for some slow release carbs on the side.
P.S - for all my friends out there planning for pregnancy take note that eggs are rich in choline ( a chemical similar to B vitamins) that is essentially important for women and their reproductive system. Overall everyone can gain numerous benefits from the humble egg that offers an abundance of benefits that see it back in favour all over again as a fabulous nutritional storehouse.
Place all the ingredients in a blender and whiz until smooth.
Don't be frightened away by a green smoothie with thoughts of "yuck" The mango and banana in this green smoothie make it very tame and far from hard core . The peanut butter also rounds out the flavour of the greens so I encourage you to give it a go and suck up all those valuable vitamins and minerals in their raw state. I figure if the kids drink it it can't be to bad. Chill factor is a must for me so don't forget to cool things down by adding ice to the mix especially now that the weather is heating up in the Southern Hemisphere (well in some places at least)
Poached eggs are a no brainer for breakfast. They are an excellent source of protein, vitamins and iron. Choose organic pastured eggs if you can find them for the reason that pastured eggs come from chickens that are free to roam and forage for insects meaning happier and healthier chickens and therefore eggs. Any readers on the Sunshine Coast can get pastured eggs from Rawganix Farm who attend the Kawana Farmers Markets every Saturday morning from 7am - 1pm
If you are into your toast then consider adding a slice of wholegrain sourdough toast for some slow release carbs on the side.
P.S - for all my friends out there planning for pregnancy take note that eggs are rich in choline ( a chemical similar to B vitamins) that is essentially important for women and their reproductive system. Overall everyone can gain numerous benefits from the humble egg that offers an abundance of benefits that see it back in favour all over again as a fabulous nutritional storehouse.
We've had a run of eating raw lately and this zucchini bread served us well in many ways right from breakfast through to dinner. My favourite way to enjoy this is with some sweet cherry tomatoes atop some lush green avocado along with a twist of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. It's easy to prepare but a dehydrator is required however I would think a low temp oven would suffice and give a similar result albeit not raw. The flaxseeds give this bread an earthy subtle nutty edge and offer their services as an excellent source of fibre, protein and magnesium in addition to being a good source of vitamin B6, folate, calcium, iron, zinc and selenium. More so, flaxseeds are rich in Omega 3 essential fatty acids in particular alpha lineolic acid (ALA). Needless to say flaxseed in any form is great for the skin, relief of constipation, blood glucose stabilisation and has been studied extensively for it protective effects on women's health. You can purchase flaxseeds both whole and ground from most supermarkets and health food stores. Whole seeds are best stored in an airtight container in a cool place for several months whereas ground seeds do need to be kept in the fridge.
Some other ways to get the benefits of flaxseeds include
these spelt pikelets
Sprinkled over the top of natural yoghurt, vegetables or as an addition to your favourite smoothie in the mornings.
Find the recipe for raw zucchini bread here
I do have a tendency to refer to my slow cooker as a best friend for good reason. The convenience of being able to prepare a large quantity of healthy food for freezing comforts and reassures me that we are not going to starve in busy times. So convenient and so cheap!! I must add not to be shy here so throw in whatever needs using up if you wish. Personally I think a smidge of cream or natural yoghurt would go nicely with this dish as well. Also I tend to go a bit heavier on the ground spices as I find that store bought and pre ground means they tend to be less intense.
Chickpea and Vegetable Curry
Adapted from Slow Cooking - Anthony Thompson
Serves 4 - 6
2 large onions, roughly chopped
1 T grated fresh ginger
4 T cold pressed olive oil
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
400gm fresh or canned tomatoes chopped
2 crushed green cardamon pods
6 cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp toasted cumin seeds
200g sweet potato, chopped roughly into chunks
3 carrots halved lengthways
400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 broccoli broken into small florets
2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander
250g bag baby spinach, washed
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to season
Blend half the onion and the ginger to a smooth paste in a mini food processor and set aside
In a large frypan, cook the remaining onion in your choice of oil with the garlic and cinnamon over medium heat for 8 mins, until onions have softened but not coloured
Spoon the mix into the slow cooker and add all the remaining ingredients except the fresh herbs and spinach
Cover and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours until the root vegetables are tender
Turn the heat to high, fold in the coriander and spinach and serve
For the flatbread follow this recipe here and adapt by omitting the sesame seeds and thyme and add a 1/4 cup finely chopped coriander and 1 -2 fresh red chilli's finely diced. It's always nice to have something to dip with.
For the flatbread follow this recipe here and adapt by omitting the sesame seeds and thyme and add a 1/4 cup finely chopped coriander and 1 -2 fresh red chilli's finely diced. It's always nice to have something to dip with.
Blueberries are considered to be one of the top anti ageing foods so add a cup a day to keep your mind young, improve short term memory and protect against mental decline. Now that summer is approaching blueberries are everywhere so stock in and reap the benefits from this low sugar snack. I think blueberries are good any time of the day as are cherry tomatoes with a smidge of cheese that will help keep blood sugar levels on par and assist with the assimilation of important vitamins and minerals also.
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Mmm...just love it all. That raw bread intrigues me. I am determined to perfect the poached egg soon. You give such super advice to women who are pregnant or are thinking of becoming pregnant. I wish I could wind back the clock and add so many more of these foods at that time.
ReplyDeleteLove the vibrant green of that smoothie! I've gotta try kale in my smoothies some day soon, sounds especially yum with mango and banana.
ReplyDeleteI've just fallen out of my chair. l-o-v-e.
ReplyDeleteHey Sarah - the raw bread is good. It's not something I could eat every day but we enjoy it when we do have it. The boys like it with peanut butter and honey. I would love to wind back the clock on many things as well.
ReplyDeleteHey Emma - you should go with the kale. It is great
Thanks Bev
I love to start my day with a green smoothie! And I've been sprinkling flax seeds into practically everything lately, unless I'm adding chia seeds that is!
ReplyDeleteYou must eat about 25 different colours a day! Nice work!
ReplyDeletePS. Lovely to meet you today, and looking forward to our next affogato :)
I love poached eggs, they're my favorite breakfast, yumm...
ReplyDeleteLove your daily spread Sherilyn. The smoothie sounds great! But I think the vegetable curry might be my favourite. Or maybe the zucchini bread with avocado and tomato... Mmmm
ReplyDeleteJust had your green smoothie for breakfast, yum! I eat kale by the bucketful, raw in salads or lightly sauteed but this was a first in a smoothie for me. It tastes really similar to barely grass. Even little mister 3 year old said "this isn't bad" after his first sip! Many thanks :-)
ReplyDeleteoops, barley grass ;-)
ReplyDelete