PEANUTBUTTER – Page 2

5 WAYS TO PIMP YOUR PORRIDGE

Published on February 20, 2015February 20, 2015 by Katie morgan11 Comments

A lot of people think that being healthy and fit means kale, spinach and flavourless food that can only be green. But I will tell you now… you are wrong! Yes dark green leafy vegetables are vey high in iron, protein and fiber but there is much more to it. Healthy is not about cutting out food or denying yourself of yummy meals. It is about making healthy choices and choosing options that your body will benefit from… like oats! Just like the three little bears porridge was a staple in our family for breakfast during winter. Dad would always wake up and make the most amazing brew for the family. Call me crazy but I love a good sticky, gluggy, hot porridge especially when it is pimped with one of the below options. Don’t let your porridge be a bore or chore to eat. Try one of these divine combos!!

NOTE Classic porridge/soaked oats base recipe :

1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup milk of choice, 1 Tbs chia seeds and 1 tsp honey or maple to add some optional sweetness.

5 WAYS TO PIMP YOUR PORRIDGE

1. SALTED CHOC-PEANUT BUTTER

Who doesn’t love peanut butter? Especially when teamed with chocolate. Yep that’s right chocolate for breakfast, you read correctly. This choc peanut butter combo is to die for and packs a nutritional punch. Simply stir in 1-2 Tbs natural 100% peanut butter, 1 Tbs cacao powder and a pinch of sea salt to your next porridge brew once it is removed from the microwave or whilst stirring on the stove. Serve sprinkled with sliced banana, peanuts and cacao nibs!! Mmmmmm and the final essential last touch… a spoonful of peanut butter!!!!

2. LAYER IT

Seems like all cute healthy things these days are served in jars and layered. The night before soak 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup milk and 1 Tbs chia seeds in a container in the fridge over night. In the morning pour/scoop half of the oats into a cute jar then add 1/2 a banana sliced up followed by a dollop of Greek yoghurt. Repeat – oats, 1/2 banana and yoghurt. Top with chia seeds, shredded coconut and a couple of blueberries. It looks cute in a jar because you can actually see the layers but it will still taste the same in a bowl if you don’t want to be super alternative and take an insta snap of it :)

3. CARROT CAKE STYLE

Love carrot cake? Try this healthy breakfast inspired alternative. On the stove heat up 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup milk and 1 Tbs chia seeds. After a couple of minutes add 1/2 grated carrot, 2 finely chopped medjool dates or a small handful of sultanas and a small handful of chopped walnuts. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt, shredded coconut, sprinkle of sultanas and extra walnuts on top. YUM This one is good soaked over night served cold too!

4. GO ‘NUTS’ WITH THE TOPPINGS

All about that crunch?? Top your porridge with a big dollop of yoghurt and some to die for crunchy maple cinnamon flavoured granola. >> RECIPE HERE. Don’t have time to make a granola – top with ANY nuts, seeds, shredded coconut, cacao nibs or chia. Anything crunchy and colourful is going to seal the deal.

5. EGGY

Ok so this one isn’t for the queasy stomachs or people who can’t (pregnant ladies) or wont digest raw egg. When your porridge is finished cooking on the stove or microwave, simply remove it and crack an egg into it whisking it up rapidly until it is nice and fluffy. Not only does the egg change the consistency of the porridge it also adds a dose of extra protein!

Now there is no excuse to be sitting there spooning a boring plain old porridge into your mouth. Jazz it up with one of the above combos and you won’t look back!!

PLATE UP

Published on December 8, 2014December 8, 2014 by Katie morgan3 Comments

Monday morning!! A new week means new health and fitness goals. A lot of people spend more time worrying about what they ‘shouldn’t’ be eating and rather than focusing on fueling their body with nutritious wholesome super foods. It has taken my a very long time to get my diet right to suit my body, health and fitness goals and overall digestion. Everyone is different – portion sizes, food types, gluten vs no gluten, taste buds and snack frequency so there is no point copying the person next to you as what they eat may not be doing you any benefit. However, let’s not get too precise about what we should and shouldn’t eat and focus on trying to pack as much nutrient rich wonders onto our plate everyday.

Once you build your diet around healthy wholesome foods, you create a strong health platform for your body long term and leave less time for slip ups and binges or poor nutrition. Especially with summer and the bikini season about to hit (even though Canberra lacks in the beach department) now is as better time as ever to get our nutrition right!!

“DON’T EAT LESS – EAT RIGHT” Try adding these nutritional powerhouses to your plate daily!!

1. BERRIES; make friends with berries, and not any particular type – all of them! They are bright, super sweet, low in sugar and have a super high content of antioxidants and vitamins. You can eat them frozen, blended into a smoothie, on your oats, in muffins or with yoghurt. Make sure you have berries today!

2. COFFEE; hallelujah baby!! Not only is coffee exceptionally high in antioxidants there is also evidence that it can speed up our metabolism and promote fat loss and anti aging – sounds good to me.

3. YOGHURT; packed full of prebiotic goodness for overall gut health you cannot go past yoghurt. It can reduce bloating, constipation (yep I said the C word) and digestive imbalance. For a strong overall immune system and healthy bacteria include yoghurt into your daily diet.

4. PEANUT BUTTER; I’ve said it once and I will say it again – get spooning that peanut butter!! Full of so many health and weight loss benefits, you cannot go wrong with PB. 2 Tablespoons a day will speed up your metabolism, give you energy to work out, keep you full and not to mention taste amazing. 2Tbs Peanut butter and banana bread for morning tea? CHECK!! (pictured)

5. TOMATOES; full of beta-carotene and vitamin c, cooked tomatoes will give you a better daily dose of the nutrient lycopene, another powerful antioxidant with anti-cancer properties. So whose adding a tomato based pasta sauce or yummo lasagna stack into next weeks meal planning?

6. WALNUTS; all nuts have great over all health benefits to our skin, hair, body and metabolism but walnuts have the richest polyunsaturated fat content (this doesnt mean the ‘fattiest’ nut thought) which reduces cholesterol levels and has powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. Grab a large handful to chuck on your salad, oats or in your next baking session. Choc-walnut brownies anyone?

7. OILY FISH; tuna and salmon give the body a massive dose of omega 3 polyunsaturated fat much the same as walnuts. And you can grab a few cans to store in your work draw, handbag or pantry so there is no excuse not to get your daily dose.

8. BROCCOLI; rich source of folate and phytonutrient content well above other greens, broccoli makes for a perfect vege! Soups, dips, pastas, salads, stir fry’s or quiche – its a pretty versatile cute little tree so get plating it up!

9. APPLES; the old saying still goes ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ and ain’t that the truth. Apples are packed full of soluble fiber, vitamin C and can satisfy hunger therefore promoting weight loss. Great for heart health, protecting against metabolic syndrome, dried apples (in particular) can boost exercise endurance, lower cholesterol and aid fat metabolising. Reach for that daily apple – especially teamed up with some PB for a super snack!

10. DARK CHOCOLATE; now this is the one sweet treat that I suggest eating frequently and nutritionists can back that up. If you are going to devour the block – make it dark chocolate with a high cocoa percentage. The higher the cocoa = the higher the antioxidants and more health benefits. Another great example of Kale and the Kettlebell’s health rule – the darker the better!

So NO MORE counting calories, restricting portions, crazy diets or binges. Eat right and eat more of the above foods daily – your body will thank you for it!

13 TOP FOODS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Published on September 18, 2014September 18, 2014 by Katie morganLeave a comment

With so many fad diets circling social media and the health and fitness industry it is hard to know what to eat. It certainly doesn’t help that the ‘gluten free’ diet is becoming a bit of a fashionable trend and people are focussing more on what NOT to eat, than what TO eat!

The amazing fitness health queen Lorna Jane stands by her quote “STOP DIETING – START NOURISHING” and proves this with some delicious and nutritious recipes in her latest cookbook Nourish – if you haven’t already got it, go and buy it now!! It’s a goodie.

Here is a list of the 13 top foods for weight loss; in no particular order these amazing wholefoods are simply designed to kick start your metabolism and burn that unwanted fat whist you munch. See how many you can fit in your day!!

Apples
Beef
Eggs
Bananas
Oats
Brown rice
Blueberries
Chili
Avocado and Olive oil
Chicken
Peanut butter
Greek yoghurt
Almonds

How many did you mentally check off in your head? Or how many of you took one look at the list and felt like a dog with his tail between his legs?

Want to know how can you achieve all of these foods in the one day? SIMPLE – I would say that I easily consume 90% of this list EACH day… Chili is finally growing on me but that would probably be my least consumed. Side Note: Have you had that chili hummus dip? With the big red blob in the middle… fair to say the hummus part contains no heat AT ALL but that red bit… ouch it is 100% chili/ harrissa paste so either stir the whole thing up before you scoop or avoid the red like the plague unless you have a cucumber and glass of milk handy! I’m just going to stick to the plain or beetroot hummus thanks!

Please note these meal plans are based around what I consume daily. Different people require different levels of nutrition and portions to suit their physical activity and goals. I eat 3 meals, 2 snacks a day, drink 1 coffee on arrival to work (and then fight myself all day for a second until the coffee shop is shut) and have an after dinner treat 2-3 times a week!

Below I have constructed two examples of a simple one day meal plan that incorporates all of the 13 top weight loss foods: Try it one day this week… you won’t go back!

EXAMPLE ONE:

Breakfast:

Overnight soaked blueberry oats topped with a banana and dollop of Greek yoghurt

Mid-Morning snack:

Flat white

1 apple sliced and 1-2Tbs peanut butter

Lunch:

Grilled chicken, avocado, almond and feta salad. Health blogger, nutritionist and wellness coach Jess Sepel from ‘The Clean Life’ has an amazing recipe worth trying. http://www.jessicasepel.com/recipes/lunchdinner/alkalizing-salad-with-zatar-chicken/

Mid-Afternoon snack:

Handful of almonds/trail mix

2 boiled eggs

Dinner:

Beef mince chili con carne served on brown rice with steamed greens and diced avocado on top. My fave recipe for this is by Teresa Cutter; The Healthy Chef – check it out…. http://www.thehealthychef.com/2012/04/chilli-con-carne/

After dinner cleanse/snack:

Piece of fruit with a couple of slices of cheese (apple/cheddar or watermelon/ feta are some good combos)

Medjool dates are also the perfect sweet to fight those cravings. Otherwise have a piece or two of dark chocolate to give your body an antioxidant boost!

EXAMPLE TWO:

Breakfast:

Green brekkie smoothie; 1/2 large frozen banana, 1 cup frozen blueberries, ½ cup oats, 1 raw egg (you honestly cannot taste the egg and it ups the protein content) big handful of spinach and milk

Mid-Morning snack:

Flat white

175gms Greek yoghurt topped with seeds/nuts or granola (I am all about the toppings/textures and the crunch factor)

Lunch:

Thai beef salad with rice noodles

Great recipe by nutritionist Katherine Rothwell on the Eat Fit Food blog here:

http://www.eatfitfood.com.au/_blog/Eat_Fit_Food_Blog/post/meal-of-the-week-thai-beef-salad-with-rice-noodles-cashews-sesame-seeds/

Mid-Afternoon snack:

2 brown rice cakes with 1-2Tbs peanut butter and ½ large banana sliced (leftover from brekkie)

Slice of warmed banana bread with 1-2Tbs peanut butter, 1/2 large banana with chia seeds and cinnamon (This is a serious fave – pictured as the feature image) recipe for banana bread by The Healthy Chef here: http://www.thehealthychef.com/2013/01/gluten-free-banana-bread/ perfect when you have those funky looking brown bananas lying around and even better to bake, slice and freeze!

Dinner:

Chicken and red apple curry with almond couscous

Simple weeknight curry recipe from Clean Eating Magazine here: http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/recipes/chicken-curry-with-almond-couscous/

After dinner cleanse/snack:

Avocado raw chocolate mousse; simply mash/combine 1 avocado with 2 Tbs honey and 1Tbs cacao powder for instant creamy mousse; Serves 2)

It is THAT simple. There you have it – 13 weight loss super foods in the one day all designed to target fat loss, not to mention taste delicious.

There are so many different combinations of these foods that you can incorporate into your daily eating plan…Eggs for breakfast, yoghurt dolloped on or in your next curries, peanut butter in your stir fry or avocado in your smoothies. Get creative!

Your body requires a balance of carbohydrates, good fats, proteins and fibre to thrive and get the best results.

“Fail to prepare – prepare to fail”