nutrition – Page 4 – KATIE MORGAN

NN DAY 5 – GRAB ‘N’ GO SNACKS

Published on November 5, 2014November 12, 2014 by Katie morgan2 Comments

(above) Lunch box packed for the flight back to Perth last week – all the goods!!

If there is something that I excel at in life… it is snacking! Road trips, aero plane flights, weekend escapes, movie dates… you name it, I’ve got the snacks covered. I am honestly like a child. The only way to keep me happy is occupying me with food. When it comes to planes, boats and cars I blame this on my motion sickness. For some reason the only way to keep the nausea away is by eating. Literally as soon as I finish chomping my last mouthful, the motion sickness sets in. So that’s why I always have food handy!

And my draw at work. Well that is another whole kettle of fish. Unlike the limited space of a woman’s handbag my draw is STOCKED full of the essential snacks to keep that HANGRY feeling away. Nothing gets me in quite a rage like being so insanely hungry that it turns to anger. Admit it – we have all been there.

Here are my 5 favourite grab-and-go snacks kept on hand to avoid the “hangry” stage;

1. Rice cakes with nut butters, fruit, cottage cheese or avocado. (photo sourced from @mb_motivation)

2. Banana and handful of nuts/trail mix

3. Protein bars or homemade muffins (banana date muffin recipe HERE)

4. Carrot sticks with hummus

5. Medjool dates with peanut butter or almonds

Try and combine healthy fats, protein and carbohydrates into the one snack for optimum nutrition. That’s why you cant go wrong with the above snacks!!

NN DAY 2 – SUNDAY BRUNCH

Published on November 2, 2014November 3, 2014 by Katie morganLeave a comment

Sunday is my favourite day of the week closely followed by my Friday nights in. Sunday for us means walks, coffee, sleep ins, food shops, yoga, brunch and catching up on things to prepare for the week ahead. And nothing like a large indulgent dessert (like my instant chocolate mug cake, recipe HERE) or a glass of wine on a Sunday night to celebrate a week of good health and nutrition, knowing that you can start a clean slate on a Monday morning. But before we get too carried away in indulgent desserts lets skip back to the MOST important meal of the day… BREAKFAST!!! If your daily breakfast routine consists of an alternating cycle of PB banana toast one day and soaked oats the next – then you will appreciate the enjoyment of making a nice exciting breakfast without a time limit. Yep I am talking smoked salmon, poached eggs and avocado on toast or a quadruple layer stack of peanut butter coconut pancakes, recipe HERE. It’s the simple things like actually sitting down and setting the table instead of scoffing my oats whilst making my other half’s smoothie or shoveling my toast down whilst walking out the door.

A few of my favourite Sunday brunches are;

1. Peanut butter coconut pancakes. Recipe on the blog HERE

2. Smoked salmon, soft boiled eggs and avocado on toast

3. Jumbo mushroom omelette

4. Smoothie bowl with granola

5. Fresh Bircher muesli. Recipe below

FRESH BIRCHER MUESLI RECIPE – serves 2

1 cup oats

3Tbs chia seeds

1tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1-2 oranges freshly squeezed

Milk (enough to cover the oats)

1 large apple grated

½ cup coconut shredded

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

½ cup goji berries

1 cup greek yoghurt

½ cup mixed nuts

2Tbs pepitas

Blueberries and 1/2 banana sliced for topping

Extra cinnamon, coconut and honey

The night before in a large bowl combine oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange juice, apple, coconut, honey and goji berries. Stir until combined and pour enough milk so the ingredients are comfortably covered. Cover with cling wrap and leave in fridge overnight.

In the morning remove cling wrap and add the yoghurt. Pour in the nuts and seeds and stir until combined. Serve up 2 bowls and top with the cinnamon, honey, coconut, berries and banana. Get creative and enjoy!!

The most important part about healthy eating is enjoying what you eat. I personally get excited lying in bed at night thinking about what marvelous creation I am going to whip up for breakky in the morning!!

So get planning and make this Sunday a special ‘healthy’ brunch to kick off a fit, healthy and nutritious November.

NN DAY 1 – BUT FIRST… COFFEE

Published on October 31, 2014November 1, 2014 by Katie morganLeave a comment

Welcome to Nutritional November. Firstly CAN YOU BELIEVE it is November already and will be the year 2015 in only 8 weeks?? I know I can’t. After much motivation this last month from the gorgeous ladies Jayne and Katie from Sweat and Oranges, I have decided to do “Nutritional November”. Each day of the month I will be posting tips, facts, recipes, workouts and other helpful healthyness to get you feeling confident and be the best version of yourself… just in time for December. Think of it as a little revamp of your health life to keep you motivated, on track and making progress!! So here goes. Day 1 – but first… coffee!

I don’t know about you but I am a creature of habit, not one who likes too much change, and someone who falls into a routine very comfortably and fast. Ok ok yes these are sounding like excuses you are right. These are the things that I tell myself every day when I think … “do I have a coffee addiction?” and the answer is yes. I do. You probably do too. Coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world. Although negative effects of caffeine have received most attention from health writers, coffee is a complex mixture of antioxidants which are beneficial to our health. Caffeine is one of the most commonly consumed stimulant ‘drugs’ occurring naturally in tea and coffee and other plants and when withdrawn entirely from a diet can lead to withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, stiffness, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, depressed mood and irritability. Well – want to avoid such symptoms??? DON’T STOP DRINKING COFFEE.

I am sorry for those nutritional therapists or natural foodies that I offend in saying that but if there is one thing I believe and stand by more than anything whilst living a clean and healthy lifestyle, is not depriving yourself or completely removing anything from your diet. God knows I have tried to quit. I gave it up for 30 days once and it made no difference. I didn’t feel the slightest bit healthier or better and I craved it just as much on day 30 as I did on day 1. For me coffee is social, fun, exciting, brings happiness, makes me alert, picks me up, burns my tongue (have got to stop demanding extra hot), gives me energy, lifts my mood and not to mention tastes AMAZING!!! And why would I deprive myself of those feelings on a daily basis. Not to mention the amazing antioxidant benefits of a daily coffee. I know that I can stop although I am not in the least concerned. I drink coffee because I LOVE IT!! Hell if my body would fit inside the takeaway cup (yes it HAS to be in a takeaway cup) then I would jump head first straight into it and bath in its creamy hot goodness. I am a sucker for anything coffee – desserts, slices, cookies, ice cream and smoothies.

So stop listening to all of those one liners about coffee being bad for your health. Yes if you consume 10 cups a day, but anything in excess is bad for you. Even Kale!!! Yep I said it… kale can be bad for you. Kale is a cruciferous vegetable similar to broccoli, cabbage and brussels all of which when consumed in excess can lead to problems with your thyroid glands. Proof!!

Here are the top 13 evidence based health benefits of coffee that have been confirmed by human studies.

Coffee can improve energy levels and brain function
Coffee can increase fat burning and boost your metabolic rate
Coffee can improve physical performance
Coffee is full of essential nutrients such as riboflavin, manganese, potassium, magnesium and niacin.
Coffee may lower your risk of type II diabetes
Coffee may protect you from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
Coffee appears to have protective effects on the liver
Coffee can fight depressive moods and make you happy
Coffee is the biggest source of antioxidants in the western diet

Of course too much coffee can make you jittery and potentially cause high blood pressure and increase heart rates. Drinking more than 4 coffees a day is not recommended.

However I would be more worried for my bank account if I was consuming 4 coffees a day more than the effect it would have on my overall health.

So be reasonable. If you feel like a coffee HAVE ONE. If you have already had 3 and crave another… ask yourself do you really need it or are you bored/hungry/tired. Sometimes when you crave a coffee or something sweet your body just needs a little fresh air or a break. Take 5 minutes away from your desk, get some sunshine, go for a walk or drink a large glass of water. If you still crave the coffee… have it!!

On that note… I’m off to my fave ‘Edgar’s Inn’ for a darn big creamy coffee!