Aphrodisiac Valentines Day Menu Healthy Recipes & Giveaway!

Aphrodisiac Valentines Day Menu Healthy Recipes & Giveaway!

With Valentine's Day just around the corner I wanted to share with you my super sensual Valentine's Day menu and recipes that will guarantee to impress any girlfriend, boyfriend, husband or wife! Each meal contains an abundance of aphrodisiac foods to get you in the mood - from suggestive colours and shapes to foods that cause physical reactions inside the body!

I also have a love-themed giveaway for you curtsy of an amazing gift company called Just Mustard.. just click the link below to watch my Valentine's Day Menu Video, subscribe and comment to enter! - The giveaway will close Tuesday 12th Feb .. good luck!

 

[To Enter the Giveaway - Click Here]

  

 

Breakfast: Wholegrain toast topped with tomato puree & a heart-shaped boiled egg

Lunch: Serve an avocado & rocket salad topped with pine-nuts (goes great in a sandwich too!)

 

 

Snacks: A banana!

Evening Meal: Honey & ginger chicken with asparagus (serve with basmati rice)

Dessert: Pineapple & strawberries covered with dark chocolate!

To make the ginger & honey glazed chicken...

 

You will need..

 

4 chicken breasts

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp Dijon or wholegrain mustard

4 tbsp water

2 tsp ground ginger

2 garlic cloves (or 2 tsp of ground ginger)

Black Pepper (to taste)

 

And here's what to do..

 

1) Pan fry the chicken breasts to give colour all over

2) Mix together the dressing ingredients and add to the chicken

3) Mix well and cook for 20-30 mins over a medium heat until the chicken is cooked

 

To make the chocolate covered fruits..

 

You will need..

 

100g dark chocolate

A small punnet of strawberries

A small can of pineapple rings

 

And here's what to do..

 

1) Break the chocolate into chunks and melt in the microwave for a few mins

2) Dip the strawberries into the chocolate and twirl to let the excess chocolate drip off

3) Drain the pineapple rings and dip half of them into the chocolate as above

4) Place the fruits onto a foil covered tray or plate

5) Chill in the fridge for at least 30 mins

Have a great week.everyone.. and Happy Valentine's!

 

Nic x

 

P.S And here's a picture of the prizes up for grabs... click here for the Just Mustard website!

 

Chia Chocolate Pudding - 100% Healthy!!

Chia Chocolate Pudding - 100% Healthy!!

I first blogged about the amazing chia seed in my 'over night oats' blog post for deskfest (breakfast at your desk).. and had some left over to experiment with.. this led me to making this delicious dessert. It was a twitter follower who first told me about this recipe and as soon as I saw the words 'chocolate' and 'pudding' I couldn't wait to get started!

This chocolate pudding is packed with 100% healthy ingredients and is super quick and simple to make. If you want to make your own Chia Chocolate Pudding then here is what you will need (serves 2-3):



300ml of almond milk (rice milk also works)
45-50g chia seeds
2 tbsp cocoa (swap for tsp if this is too rich for you)
1-2 tbsp honey, agave nectar or sweet freedom (again swap for tsp desired)

Optional Extra - an extra 1 tbsp of hot chocolate powder

And here is what to do...

1) Mix all of the above ingredients together in a bowl and keep mixing until all of the cocoa is dissolved..

2) Chill for at least 30 mins (this pudding below was actually left for 3 hours!)

3) Serve in a wine glass or a short glass and enjoy!
- if you prefer an even more chocolatey dessert than add an extra tbsp of hot chocolate powder.. delicious!!

 

Per serving (if this recipe provides 2 servings) this pudding provides just 160 calories and is packed with healthy fats and protein (5g).

 

Do let me know if you make this recipe either on my blog, facebook or twitter!

 

Have a great weekend (I'm filming a Valentine's video & giveaway so look out for it on my YouTube channel!)

 

Nic x

Baked Almond Apple Rings with Cameo Apples

Baked Almond Apple Rings with Cameo Apples

Following on from my bircher muesli recipe with Cameo Apples last week, today I bring you another super easy recipe that is perfect for dessert. It's is the perfect amount of sweetness with savoury and has no added sugar. I first saw this recipe on an amazing blog run by Gina and couldn't wait to re-make it!

Eating apples are perfect for dessert as they are naturally sweet .. this means that there's no need to add any extra sugar (low GI agave nectar drizzled on top is purely optional!!). Apples also take on the most beautiful and soft texture once baked - I promise you you will love this recipe!

So, to make these delicious Baked Almond Apple Rings all you will need is:

1 large apple - cored and then sliced into rings (about 1-1.5cm width)

2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil (heat in the microwave for a minute or so)

1/2 cup (50g) of ground almonds

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 a teaspoon of nutmeg

And here's what to do..

1) Pre-heat your oven to 190 degrees C (375 degrees F)
2) Mix together the ground almonds with the cinnamon and nutmeg
3) Dip your apple chunks (on both sides) in to the melted coconut oil ..

4) .. And then roll both sides in the almond mix

5) Place all apples on a wire rack over a baking tray covered with foil

6) Bake for 5-7 mins, flip the apples and bake for another 5-7 mins
7) Turn your oven up to the highest temperature it goes to and bake for a further 3-5 minutes with the door open (until your apples are nice and soft!)

I served my apple with Greek yoghurt and extra cinnamon.. ice-cream and agave nectar would also be delicious!!

 

This recipe serves 2 and serving is ~180 kcal.

 

Happy apple baking!

 

Nic x

Healthy Baking Tips

Healthy Baking Tips

In June I blogged about my cake making process with Herman (Herman the German Friendship Cake!) and since then I have been asked to be their Q & A nutritionist [click here for the official website]. As their nutritionist I will also be posting regular healthy baking tips - so you bake your cake and eat it too!

So, here's my first article.. I hope it gives a little inspiration on how to make your baking a little bit healthier :)

My Top 5 Healthy Baking Tips!

Baking doesn’t have to be unhealthy. Here are my top tips on how to either reduce the calorie content or boost the nutritional goodness of your baking.

1) Add fruit. Dried fruit is packed with antioxidants, nutrients and fibre and goes well in most baking dishes. Try cranberries or cherries in a cake and raisins or blueberries in muffins. There’s no reason why ‘treat’ foods can’t count towards your 5 a day too!


Apricot & Dried Fruit Granola Pots
- click here for the recipe!

2) Substitute the fat. Replace half the amount of fat (e.g. butter) used with either mashed bananas or apple sauce. Calories and fat are instantly reduced!



Oat & Date Slices
- click here for the recipe!

3) Cut the sugar. Calorie-free sweeteners such as Splenda or Truvia (from the Stevia plant) are a great replacement for sugar in baking – just check the packet of your chosen sweetener to see if they are suitable for heating (as some aren’t!) and experiment! When I made my Herman cake I used sugar to develop the batter mix (to feed it!) and then sweetener in the final cake mix.


My Healthy Blackforest Crumble will be uploaded *soon* - made with Freedom - 100% pure fruit syrup (less calories and lower GI than sugar)

4) Go easy on the chocolate. Adding bars of melted chocolate to your baking can seriously increase the fat and calorie content, so instead why not use mini chocolate chips – stir them into your baking, without melting first and then sprinkle on top. This way you have chocolaty tastes with every bite just without as many calories!



Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips - baked by Mollie (Personal Trainer)
- click here for the recipe


5) Reduce the portion size. Baking smaller muffins and cutting your cakes or desserts into smaller pieces will instantly reduce the calories per portion, with no compromise in taste – perfect.



Banana Cloud with Nutella
- click here for the recipe

Watch this space for more healthy baking tips!

Nic x

Cholesterol Lowering Muffins

Cholesterol Lowering Muffins

You've probably heard of cholesterol before.. but do you know what it is? Cholesterol is a type of fat known as a 'lipid' and it is vital for bodily functions such as producing hormones and making vitamin D. Cholesterol is carried around the body as lipoproteins known as LDL (bad) and HDL (good).. too much LDL can lead to blocked arteries (with HDL helping to reduce this risk!).

So, enough science.. where do these muffins come in to play you ask?! Oats are fantastic for health and so when I came across this 'oat bran' muffin recipe I was more than pleased! Oats and oatbran are rich in beta-glucan soluble fibre which has been shower to lower blood cholesterol - which reduces risk of heart disease. To get your daily intake of oats you may like to try oat cakes, oat bran (in yoghurt, salads etc), 50:50 oatie bread or oat-based breakfast cereals or porridge oats.

Oats aren't the only thing you can eat though to reduce blood cholesterol.. the main thing you can do is to reduce the amount of saturated fat in the diet (found in fatty and processed meats, butter, whole milk, hard cheese, cakes, chocolates and pastries) and replace them with healthier options such as lean meats, oily fish, vegetables/olive oil based margarine/oils, low fat milk/yoghurt/soya alternatives, lower-fat cheese e.g. cream cheese or Edam etc and choose fruit/veg (5 a day!), nuts and seeds for snacks. Choosing wholegrain foods (oats are a wholegrain) is also recommended as well as having beans and pulses daily e.g. adding them to stews and spag bol!

And back to the muffins.. I saw the recipe for these oat bran muffins on the Mornflake website [click here].. they were extremely tasty.. and I nick-named them my 'cholesterol lowering muffins' !

So what do you need to make them?

250g / 9ozs Mornflake Oatbran

50g / 2ozs Raisins

50g / 2ozs Soft Brown Sugar

5 ml / 1 teaspoon Cinnamon

15ml / 1 tablespoon baking powder

290 ml / 10 fluid ozs Skimmed Milk

2 egg whites

30ml / 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil

And what do you need to do?

First, heat the oven to 220 degrees C / 425 degrees F / gas mark 7

1) Mix together the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, raisins and cinnamon..

2) Mix together the milk, oil and egg whites..

3) Pour the liquids in to the dry oat bran mix and leave for 5 minutes to absorb.. I then blended this mixture for a few moments with my hand blender.. however this step isn't essential!

4) Divide between 15 paper bun cases..

5) And pop in the oven for 12 - 15 minutes (or until pale brown)

6) Eat and enjoy!! Each muffin is just 106kcal and is packed with oaty-soluble fibre goodness!!

Nutrition Per Bun: 106 kcal

Nutritional Benefits: High in soluble fibre & antioxidants

Happy baking! - for more healthy recipes click here

Nic x

Herman the German Friendship Cake!

Herman the German Friendship Cake!

Until the other week I'd never even heard of a German Friendship Cake.. let alone been given one/baked one! So who is Herman?! And why am I posting a picture of my friend's cake and not my own? ... let me explain..

My friend's Herman Cake.. yum!

Herman is a sourdough mix and the other week I was given my very own, complete with a set of instructions..

Day 1 of the instructions said I was to put my 'Herman' mix into a large mixing bowl and cover it loosely with a kitchen towel.. and so I did..

The instructions said that if the mixture stopped bubbling then it had died.. big responsibility!!

Days 2 & 3 instructed me to stir my Herman well.. (and of course check for bubbles!)

it's still alive!

On day 4 my 'Herman' was apparently hungry and I was instructed to add one cup of flour, milk and sugar.. and then to stir it well..

For the days 5, 6, 7 and 8 my Herman sat on the work-top covered with a kitchen towel and each day I just stirred it well..

On day 9 I was told to 'add the same as day 4 and stir well. Divide into 4 equal portions and give three away to friends with a copy of the instructions' .. I gave mine away in little jars with a sticker on the lid saying the date of 'day 1'.

I was to keep the fourth portion.. and on day 10 it was cake making time!

How to make the cake!

1) Add the following to your Herman batter..

1 cup of sugar (8oz or 225g) - I used sweetener
2 cups plain flour (10oz or 300g) 
half tsp. (teaspoon) salt
2/3 (two thirds) cup of cooking oil (5.3oz or 160ml)
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla essence
2 cooking apples cut into chunks - small ones (mine were too big!)
1 cup raisins (7oz or 200g)
2 heaped tsp. cinnamon
2 heaped tsp. baking powder
Optional:
Nuts/seeds - I used poppy seeds
More dried fruit - I used fresh raspberries - BIG MISTAKE

2) Mix!

3) Pour into a greased/ lined baking dish and bake in a pre-heated oven for 45 minutes at 170-180 degrees C

Yes, the mixture should NOT be purple.. do NOT add raspberries!

4) Slice into pieces and enjoy!!

To start your own Herman mix click [here] and scroll to page 2.. on page 1 you will find the instructions of what to do on days 1 - 10!

Happy baking!

Nic x

Oat & Date Slices

Oat & Date Slices

The other week the lovely people at Mornflake sent me this wonderful recipe book (plus lots of lovely oats) and if you like cooking & baking with oats then this seriously is the recipe book for you! I found the recipe book on Amazon [link!] .. from just 1p! Alternatively, their website also has a selection of great recipes - link!

After eagerly looking over the recipe I decided to choose a sweet recipe to bake first (to compliment all of the savoury dishes I've been blogging recently) - link! .. and I chose 'Date Slices'.

Date slice & Yoghurt & Cinnamon

I decided to experiment with this recipe and have blogged both the original recipe as well as what I decided to do and what I would do next time.. so you have three versions to choose from - after all, no one likes to be told what to do!

So, to make these delicious healthy sweet bundles of taste you will need...

350g / 3 cups of Mornflake Oats (I would love to experiment with ground oats too!)
175g / 3/4 cup of melted, soft vegetable margarine (I used 2 mashed bananas instead)
2 tbsp of sugar (I used sweetener instead)
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
225g / 1 1/3 cups Stoned Dates
1 Large cooking apple, cored & sliced (I would peel first next time!)
150ml / 2/3 cup water

And here is what to do...

First, pre-heat your oven to 190 degrees C / 375 degrees F or gasmark 5 and lightly oil a 20cm square baking tin (I lined a baking dish with baking paper instead)

1) Place the oats in a bowl and stir in the melted margarine, then the sugar and cinnamon (I mashed the bananas first, then added the oats, sweetener and cinnamon)

Mix!!

2) Press half of the mixture into the prepared tin / baking dish

3) Place the dates, apple slices (peel your apple first though!!) and water in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring to a pulp

4) Spread the date puree on top of the oats, then top with the remaining oat mixture - pat down firmly!

5) Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown & then cut into squares (x 16)..

Really wish I'd peeled the apple first!

Yum!!

I loved these date slices so much and they're packed with soluble fibre to keep our bodies healthy (soluble fibre helps to lower cholesterol and keep our digestive systems moving.. to read more about fibre click [here]).

Nutrition Per Slice (x 16): 122 kcal, 3g Protein, 25g Carbs, 2g Fat*

Nutritional Benefits: High in soluble fibre & antioxidants

For more great tasting, low calorie recipes click [here]

Have a great week guys!

Nic x

 

*Nutritional information provided by Firecracker