Three grain porridge with maple syrup

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….and as you can see lots and lots of maple syrup!…a woman needs sugar sometimes! 😊  Super easy to make, it’s just porridge oats cooked with almond milk in the normal way with a little salt, I used pink Himalayan salt but sea salt is good!  Then I stir in a couple of tbsps of ground flaxseeds, chia seeds etc.  You can basically add whatever additional seeds or grains you fancy, I sometimes cook my porridge with half organic oats and half quinoa flakes…quinoa is a really good protein source and has a variety of other health benefits also see the link below for some further information.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4994/7-Benefits-of-Quinoa-The-Supergrain-of-the-Future.html

If you can’t find quinoa in your local health shop check out this link to amazon where you can buy it in bulk easily saving money.

Blackberries (brambles) for lunch!

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Seasonal warm smoothie made with freshly picked brambles (blackberries) that we found on our forest walk with the dogs today…I love those heavenly moments when nature provides something so delicious, nutritious and so unexpectedly!  🙂

So the ingredients were…

a handful of blackberries,

a green apple,

a pear,

tbsp of maca,

tbsp of goji berries,

tbsp of flax seeds,

tbsp of pumpkin seeds

and topped with half almond and half water…

In my vitamix I can blend it on high for a few minutes and it will warm it up because let’s face it it’s freezing outside and who wants to drink a cold smoothie heading into the winter months…not sure if this works in other blender models you can give it a try.

If you like it a litte sweeter you could add a date or two or a dollop of honey.  This recipe was shared between two people.

Kale super smoothie

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Sorry it’s been a while folks, I’ve been busy studying a very basic course on Naturopathy, it’s just the tip of the iceberg but the knowledge I’ve gained has been very useful so far and it’s a good introduction to Natural medicine etc.  I hope to continue further along with some plant powered study! 😊

So here’s a quick smoothie I knocked up and it was so powerful I went for a run afterwards, my legs are still sore and that was a few days ago ha ha ha!  The black kale plucked fresh out of the garden still covered in the morning dew was absolutely amazing and I could feel the effects of the nutrition immediately lifting my  morning brain fog!  It seriously felt like a light coming on, it could also have been the ginseng kicking in!  I’m so impressed with this stuff it’s definitely on the garden growing list next year!

So I blended it in the vitamix with persimmons (I’m a persimmons addict at this time of year) and a whole orange, a tbsp of pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and some ginseng!  I topped up with water as I had ran out of almond milk!  You could use half almond milk if you prefer.

Black kale (cavolo Nero)

whole orange peeled

persimmons

tsp ginseng

tbsp pumpkin seeds

tbsp of flaxseeds

I should probably add I shared this with the kids!  It’s quite a lot to consume yourself!

Plant powered body fuel!  😎

Fresh green apple juice

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I was lucky enough to get two massive bags of green apples from a family member this year and before I made jam and pies I wanted to make some delicious fresh apple juice.

I chopped and put through about eight apples into the juicer.  You could use more or less but I had two adults and three young kids to feed.  I also added some ginger and lemon for a boost against some coughs and colds in the house just now and four sticks of cavolo Nero kale torn fresh out of the garden plot.

A delicious boost of seasonal nourishment before school and so easy to make.

Lemon Vit C Boost

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“The juice of a fresh-squeezed lemon in water has many medicinal values, as well as its benefits for cleansing the body, stimulating the liver, and improving digestion and elimination” http://www.waterbenefitshealth.com

Drinking lemon water is a great way to start the day!  Its a great source of Vitamin C for your body and lemons are also known for their detoxing and alkalising health benefits.  Below are some links to some articles I found online about the benefits of lemon water.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/111175-benefits-lemon-water/

http://www.waterbenefitshealth.com/benefits-of-drinking-lemon-water.html

I personally try to drink this 3-5 times a week, but I have a very busy kitchen in the morning with kids running around looking for food and we have smoothies and juices being made left, right and centre so I drink it when I can.  It really doesn’t take a lot of time to prepare and you can have it with hot water or with cold.  If its the colder months I prefer to have warm water.  After a glass of water or the lemon water above a smoothie is the next important breakfast step for us.  The kids usually have a  glass of water, or lemon water, a smoothie and some homemade bread or muffins.  Then additional fruit if we can squeeze it in.  We’re not perfect by any means but we try to get those super foods into them as much as possible.

Click on the link below for the smoothie glasses that I use for my vitamin waters, smoothies and frozen puddings.  They are fab and can also be recycled once the use is finished which is important for me.  The kids love the ones with the straws.
Click on the image above for mason jars

Coconut and spirulina smoothie

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Ok so the colour looks a bit yuk! But this was a delicious morning sweet kick!  Fresh coconut meat with banana and spirulina for an extra nutritional boost!  😄  My fave nutritional supplement at the moment…just throw all the ingredients below into a blender and whizz up for breakfast or great for a post run energy boost!

one banana

coconut water from one young green coconut (these look white in the super market as the hard green bit has been chopped)

flesh from the inside of the coconut

1 tsp spirulina (1/2 if first time)

 

Spirulina and banana smoothie

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Spirulina and banana energy drink!

one banana

one tsp spirulina (use a quarter if it’s your first time)

almond milk

water

Add the ingredients to the blender and top with half almond milk and half water and blend.  Enjoy!  I had this before a run and felt really energised! ❤️

Strawberry & chia seeds smoothie

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Strawberry smoothie with banana and chia seeds.  A quick smoothie I made this morning for the kids breakfast.

Chia seeds are tiny but are high in omega -3 fatty acids and are also a great dose of antioxidants, fibre, magnesium, zinc, iron and calcium.

Strawberries

Bananas

Almond milk

Chai seeds

Cut the tops off of a large handful of strawberries and add to blender, add one banana, and 2-4 tbsp of chia seeds.  Top up with half almond milk and half water, blend and serve.

Fruit salad smoothie

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Fruity salad smoothie!  Great for breakfast…I made this quickly for the kids this morning as we were running late as per usual! 😊  It’s fruity and also contains Acai berry powder which adds an additional boost of nutrition.  Acai berry powder comes from the acai palm tree which is native to central and South America.  It’s packed with antioxidants, amino acids, fibre, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

– small handful of strawberries

– small handful of blueberries

– half a pear

– tablespoon of acai berry

– water or coconut water to top up

Add everything to the blender and blend, pour drink!  Enjoy!