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Breakfast, sweets

Pecan Pie Pudding A protein rich breakfast to beat sugar cravings

26th September 2021

 

Struggling with sugar cravings? L-Glutamine is an amino acid, which is a building block protein necessary for blood sugar regulation. Considered conditionally-essential, the body sometimes synthesizes adequate amounts. However, it’s usually obtained through diet (meat, dairy, eggs, beans, tofu, and leafy vegetables). For most people, sufficient amounts of L-glutamine are obtainable through foods.
As a short-term supplement, L-glutamine can help to diminish normal sugar cravings. When blood sugar is low, glutamine quickly and easily converts to glucose, and studies have found it to be superior to pure glucose. When a craving hits for sugar or refined carbohydrates, L-glutamine can rapidly satiate this craving without decreasing insulin sensitivity. This means it can help you avoid reaching for less nutritious foods like candy, cookies, and cakes.
By choosing foods rich in this amino acid (such as cottage cheese) you can start beating those sugar cravings. I love this little creation, the Pecan Pie Pudding which also contains Chia seeds rich in Omega 3 fatty acids which is important for immunity, brain function and healthy metabolism.

ENERGY, WEIGHT-LOSS, GUT HEALTH, IMMUNITY-health-coaching

Serves 2

2/3 cup  cottage cheese

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of real maple syrup or honey

1 pinch salt

16 pecan halves, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon chia seeds

Start by adding the cottage cheese to a serving bowl, then top with, pecan nuts, chia seeds, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt and lastly, ad a drizzle of syrup or honey before serving

Breakfast, sweets, Wellness + Nutrition

Sunday Morning Oat Crumble

12th July 2021

Sunday morning oat-crumble ~ Serves 2

Although this oat crumble may feel like having pudding for breakfast, it still packs a powerful nutritional punch. I use gluten free whole rolled oats which is wonderfully gut-healthy, as is cooked apples.

Fruit:

  • 1 teaspoon of butter, for coating the baking dish
  • 2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
  • ½ cup of raspberries  fresh or frozen (but blueberries will work too)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon corn-starch

Crumble:

  • 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats, divided
  • 2 heaped tablespoons of unbleached wheat flour (for a gluten-free option you can consider using buckwheat flour, but any GF flour will do)
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (muscovado works well)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 4-5 tablespoons of butter at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions:

Butter a small oven proof dish and set aside. Then switch on the oven – setting the temperature at 160 degrees Celsius.

Sauté the apple on low heat in a little butter for about 10-15 minutes. Set aside.

Crumble: Add all the crumble ingredients to a bowl, and using your fingers work the butter through the dry mixture.

Now add the berries to the cooked apple, as well as ½ teaspoon of sugar and the cornstarch, and then sir through well.

Transfer the fruit mixture to the buttered oven proof dish and then top with the crumble mixture – transfer to the pre-heated oven and bake for 20-30 minutes.

Serve with thick coconut yoghurt or a drizzle of cream.

 

 

sweets, Wellness + Nutrition

Buckwheat Flour Banana Loaf Benefits of Buckwheat

1st April 2020

Hi everyone

I hope you guys are all staying safe and healthy during the very scary and uncertain times we are globally living through. Apparently too many of us has been posting recipes for Banana Loaf (according to some :)) – I have decided to go ahead share mine anyway as its a lovely gluten & wheat free version. And as always easy.

Buckwheat may sound like a wheat related flour, but in fact its entirely unrelated to wheat, its gluten-free and in fact classed as a pseudo seed. But it makes for a great wheat flour substitute and its very easy to get hold of from your local supermarket (in the health-food section), or a nearby health store. Should you however struggle to find buckwheat flour – buy whole buckwheat and turn it into ultra fresh flour in your food processor.

You can substitute the buckwheat flour for ordinary flour off offcourse, or any other wheat flour alternative of your choice – I use bicarbonate of soda as my raising agent – so just check whether your flour is self raising- in which case you can omit the bicarb.

Here is why buckwheat is good for you:Buckwheat is mainly composed of carbs. It also boasts a good amount of fiber and resistant starch, which may improve colon health. What’s more, it offers small amounts of high-quality protein.

The most abundant minerals in common buckwheat are;

  • Manganese. Found in high amounts in whole grains, manganese is essential for healthy metabolism, growth, development, and your body’s antioxidant defenses.
  • Copper. Often lacking in the Western diet, copper is an essential trace element that may benefit heart health when eaten in small amounts.
  • Magnesium. When present in sufficient amounts in your diet, this essential mineral may lower your risk of various chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
  • Iron. Deficiency in this important mineral leads to anemia, a condition characterized by reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of your blood.
  • Phosphorus. This mineral plays an essential role in the growth and maintenance of body tissues.

Ingredients:

2 large (or 3 small) very ripe bananas
3/4 cup of (buckwheat) flour
2 eggs
1 heaped tablespoon of ground flaxseeds
1/2 cup of crushed walnuts
1/2 cup of live full fat yoghurt or buttermilk
1/4 cup of macadamia nut oil or melted butter (avocado oil will also do)
1 heaped teaspoon of bicarb
1 teaspoon of fine sea salt or pink salt

Pre-heat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius
I make things simple by adding the bananas, eggs, yoghurt, oil, flaxseed powder sugar & salt to the mixing bowl and just whizz it all together with my hand blender.
Once smooth I add the flour and bicarb and walnuts and then mix it well.

Pour it into a greased small bread tin and pop it in the oven for 30 min. Test with a fork or pin and should it come out clean you can take it out to cool – otherwise give it a few more minutes.

Serve with butter, ghee and a lovely cup of tea ????

Happy baking – and hang in there everyone.

sweets, Wellness + Nutrition

Raspberry & Yogurt Mousse Gut Health Treats Do Excist

24th April 2018

Life without a little sweetness would be utterly depressing.

My sugar philosophy is that our bodies can cope with a little sugar (and I obviously exclude those suffering with diabetes in this statement) as long as we choose an overall active and healthy lifestyle.

When a diet is crammed full of sugary drinks, refined white flours, etc., then we certainly shouldn’t include puddings as well, but if your day has been filled with good fibre-rich wholefoods, you can allow yourself one well-chosen sweet treat every now and again.

You will find though that the less sugar you eat, the less you crave, and by making the shift to only fibre-rich wholefoods, your sugar cravings will all but disappear.

Here are a few gut-healthy sweet treats just in case.

Raspberry & Yoghurt Mousse

Serves 4

 1 heaped tsp gelatine

½ cup boiling water

1 cup home-made yoghurt (See page xx)

⅓ cup pulped, fresh raspberries

 

Dissolve the gelatine completely in the boiling water.

Using a hand-blender blend all the combined ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, transfer it to your serving dish/bowl, cover with cling film or a lid and transfer to the fridge for 2–3 hours to set.

Note: Add a few drops of stevia or a tbsp of brown sugar to the gelatine and boiling water should you wish for it to be a bit sweeter.

 

PS; If you are looking for a truly healing desert, jellies really tick all the boxes. Gelatine is 30% glycine, which has been shown to improve gut health by repairing the intestinal wall and sealing the gut lining – which is essential for healing leaky gut syndrome and the autoimmune conditions that stem from leaky gut, such as rheumatoid arthritis and allergies. Combining gelatine with probiotic rich yoghurt is one of those smug food moments.