Discover this super tasty roasted cashews recipe to spice up your muesli!

Do you sometimes think, “My muesli tastes blah!”? Discover this super tasty roasted cashews recipe to spice up your muesli today!

Protein with a punch!

I love paprika and cashews so putting them together was an exciting discovery! This recipe has no refined sugar and packs a real protein punch to help you feel fuller longer. You can make it a little spicy too which I discovered really adds to my morning meal. Chilli flakes are optional of course!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cashews (unsalted, natural)
  • 1 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

Method:

Mix everything in a bowl so cashews look wet with the olive oil.

Place on a baking pan or shallow roasting tin on parchment paper.

Roast at 180C/350F for 30 minutes. Keep an eye on them after 20 minutes, giving the pan a little shake to move the nuts around.

Take out of oven and let rest and cool then store in a glass container to use as a topping for your muesli. You could also pour into your muesli storage container and mix in. You may want to double the recipe if you do this.

Let me know how it goes.

Charlene

Sweet Potato – Turmeric Soup

Sweet Potato – Turmeric Soup

This lovely warming soup is a great winter warmer filled with goodness!

Ingredients:

3 large sweet potatoes

1 large onion

2 celery sticks

2-3 cloves garlic

2 tsp tumeric powder

1 tsp paprika powder

1 – 400g can/container chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

2.4 litres water

 

Method:

Add the olive oil to a large pot, place on stove top on medium heat.

Chop the onion & celery and add both to pot. Soften onion for about 10 minutes then add chopped garlic, turmeric, paprika and cook for 2 minutes.

Chop sweet potatoes into small chunks, add to pot with tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil and then turn heat down a bit to simmer for 25-30 minutes until sweet potatoes are soft.

Turn stove off and mix soup with a stick hand mixer or cool soup and add to a blender to mix.

Reheat soup on stove top on low if needed and serve.

Pumpkin & Banana Loaf

Some of you may have already tried my chocolate banana loaf….This is a lovely modification to include pumpkin!

The result is a dense, moist gluten free loaf.


Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas
398ml can pumpkin (no sugar added)
2 eggs
8 Tbsp maple syrup
6 Tbsp melted Coconut Oil
1 tsp vanilla

1 cup gluten free flour (Dove is great)
1 cup of ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt (Pink Himalayan Salt if possible)
1/2 cup good quality cocoa

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C.

Mash bananas in a bowl, then add eggs, can of pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla, coconut oil and mix with hand mixer.

Drop in flour, baking powder, salt & ground almonds. Mix with a wooden spoon or similar by hand. Be sure to mix only until all ingredients are combined. Your batter should look quite wet. Gluten free flour makes recipes a bit more dry so if batter looks dry add in a few more tablespoons of melted coconut oil.

Use two loaf tins for baking. Line with baking paper.

Bake for 50 minutes.  Check loaves with a knife to see if fully baked.  If knife has wet cake on it bake for 10 more minutes.

Anyone else think soaked chia seeds are slimy?

I have never got on well with soaked chia seeds. They remind me of things like tapioca or rice pudding. Slimy!

However, knowing their benefits (see below) and always willing to give things a go, I thought I would experiment with a few recipes and then tailor my own. The result is on this page. This is a great dish to use pre or post workout.

The benefits of chia seeds are many:

  • omega 3 oils
  • anti-oxidants (these mop up free radicals released from process we use to make energy)
  • fibre
  • iron
  • calcium

This recipe also has quinoa which as many of you already know is a seed, not a grain. This addition to the recipe adds another powerful protein punch! Here are the reasons to eat quinoa:

  • high in protein
  • low glycemic (aids in regulating blood sugar levels)
  • high in fibre

In addition there is also greek yogurt to top off the protein. It’s benefits are:

  • probiotics (good bacteria to populate your gut)
  • calcium
  • protein
  • Vitamin B12 (brain health, energy)
  • potassium (needed as part of the process for energy production – read up on the sodium-potassium pump of cells)

Let’s get to the recipe!

Mix all of these together in a glass jar or container with a lid & pop in fridge overnight:

  • 1 1/4 cup almond milk (or your choice)
  • 3 TBSP chia seeds
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/2 cup greek yogurt

Option ingredients – Choose any similar ingredients of your choice:

  • handful of berries
  • 1 tsp cinnamon (great for blood sugar regulation)
  • 1 TBSP maple syrup (leave out if you are staying low sugar)

Enjoy and send me your comments on Twitter or via charlene@charlenehutsebaut.com

 

Healthy Chocolate Recipe

After having mostly given up refined sugar and high glycaemic foods (I realised sugar doesn’t serve me well!) in 2012 I am always on the lookout for sugar free baking ideas.

I recently came across this excellent healthy homemade chocolate recipe.  It takes only ten minutes to prepare.

Chocolate photo

I recommend (as this blogger does) that you choose the best raw honey and/or manuka honey and organic cocoa. I have experimented with adding in chopped up fresh basil, mint and chilli flakes for different batches and they all taste yummy! If you want ultra chocolate then add some Naturya Cocoa nibs. Lovely!

You can use this chocolate in moulds, to make bars or to dip fruit into. My dipped strawberries were lovely!

The benefits of good quality chocolate are listed in the post below the recipe.

PRESS HERE FOR Healthy Homemade Chocolate recipe…

Enjoy!!!

Chocolate on heart

 


 

Gluten free, banana, almond and chocolate muffins

– My Mom does make the most gorgeous banana muffins. Here I modify things slightly to go gluten free. You can add the cocoa or leave it out. Your choice.


The Recipe:

Preheat oven to 180C/350F

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
  • 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbsp melted coconut oil or good quality extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup ground almonds
  • 2/3 cup ground gluten free oats
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp good quality cocoa

Optional:

  • 1/4 cup cocoa nibs
  • 1/4 cup chopped dates
  • 1/4 cup chopped almonds

Instructions:

  1. Prep muffins tins with light lining of coconut oil
  2. Mix together beaten eggs, mashed banana, maple syrup, oil, vanilla and baking powder.
  3. Add in ground almonds, ground oats and cocoa plus any optional ingredients and stir just until mixed.
  4. Pop in oven at 180C/350F for 30-35 minutes or knife comes out of a muffin clean.
  5. Enjoy!

Makes about 10 small muffins.

I suggest doubling recipe if you want some muffins for a few days.


Find more recipes here!

gluten free, banana and chocolate muffins 2

Peanut butter and almond – Gluten free cookies

– Gosh I love a good peanut butter cookie! This is my modified recipe for a healthy option.

I wanted to fine tune a traditional cookie recipe to be a little healthier. I have done this by using good quality, no sugar added nut butters and natural pure maple syrup.  The cookies have a lot of sustaining energy from the proteins to offset the sugar (glycemic index effect) of the maple syrup.

Maple syrup as a sugar option is better than refined sugar because it has a slightly lower glycemic index score. This means it releases a little slower than refined sugar meaning you won’t have such a high after eating it and less of a crash.  Having said this remember that maple syrup is still a sugar so we want to take in small amounts of this if any in our food plans to avoid obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. If you choose to have some sugar, maple syrup is the better choice because of the lower glycemic index as well as it’s supply of some anti-oxidants.

These cookies are also great pre or post workout because of their protein and carbohydrate/sugar content.


The Recipe:

Preheat oven to 180C/350F

Ingredients:

  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup crunchy peanut butter (Meridian or Whole Earth are great natural brands)
  • 6 tablespoons ground almonds
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Instructions:

  1. Beat together the egg, maple syrup, vanilla and peanut butter.
  2. Stir in the ground almonds and baking powder.
  3. Take tablespoon round portions and place on parchment paper then press down with fork.
  4. Pop in oven at 180C/350F for 14 minutes or until brown.
  5. Enjoy!

Options:

  • Try 1 cup of almond butter instead of crunchy peanut butter or half and half
  • Add 1 handful chopped pecans
  • Add 50 grams of a Green & Blacks Dark chopped chocolate bar (great for post workout)

Makes about 16 cookies.


Find more recipes here!

Peanut butter cookie 1

 

Pancake recipe

I often hear people talking about only having pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. What a shame! Pancakes are a great meal for any time of the year.

I have great childhood memories of my Dad and I being the first ones up early on a Saturday morning. He would make pancakes while I sat on the counter top chatting away! I can take myself back there just by closing my eyes.

When I make pancakes and coffee now the smells also remind me of those precious moments with my father. I bet you have a special childhood memory too? I would love to hear them so please share them on my facebook page here.



Pancakes RecipeLondon personal trainer - healthy pancakes 5

My Dad’s recipe modified!

Ingredients:

1 cup gluten free flour (in the UK I use Dove brand)

1 cup milk or if you prefer unsweetened or homemade almond milk (use a drizzle more if mix too dry)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

4 tablespoons melted coconut oil or butter

Method:

My Dad used to throw everything into a mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to combine.  Nowadays I put everything (liquid first) into a blender and mix in there.  Quick & easy!

Have a pan on the stove top heated on medium with a little butter and pour some of the mix in.  You can make small or large pancakes whatever takes your fancy.  This particular mixture will be very runny, more like a crepe mix.  Don’t worry, it will all stick together.  If you like your pancakes a bit thicker, simply add a few more tablespoons of flour to the mixture.

Allow the pancake to develop holes on the wet side before turning over.  It will almost be done when you flip it so the second side won’t need much time.

London personal trainer - healthy pancakes 2


Healthy fillings:

When I was growing up we used to pour corn syrup on the pancakes!  Oh the horror of this now as I look back.  I used to love the kick of that sugar!

I am a “recovering sugar addict”!  I do my best to stay away from refined sugars or anything I know makes me feel wired.  So instead if I want something sweet on my pancakes I have some fresh or frozen berries or even a bit of maple syrup.  This tasty topping is now known to have many health benefits. You can read about them here.  

Maple syrup with a squeeze of lemon is also nice.

I do like a dash of real butter on my pancakes.  Nutritionists say that some saturated fat is essential to our bodily functions.

A few more healthy toppings:Avocado

Make a savory filling with tuna or salmon.

Almond butter.  This is a favourite as it tastes like cookies!

Smashed avocado with chilli flakes. Thanks to my kiwi friends for this brilliant idea!

 


Hope you enjoy these pancakes any time of year and for any meal of the day!

Remember to share your childhood food memories as a post over on my facebook page here. #favouritefood 


Sauteed Spinach with Shallots

– A guest recipe post by Anna Atkins of @lemonsqueezy – Sauteed Spinach with Shallots

Notes from Anna:

This tasty, quick and healthy side takes just 15 minutes to get to the table. Enjoy with meat or fish such as Anna’s Salmon in Citrus Sauce


INGREDIENTS


INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Rinse the spinach under running water. Peel and finely chop the shallot. Peel and crush the garlic.
  2. Warm the olive oil in a shallow pan. Add the chopped shallot and a little salt and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the crushed garlic and cook for another minute.
  3. Put the spinach in the pan and stir briefly. Cover the pan with a lid and steam-fry the spinach for 1 minute.
  4. Remove the lid, season with a little salt and a good grinding of black pepper and boil rapidly to evaporate any cooking liquid. Serve immediately.

 Try this with Anna’s Salmon in Citrus Sauce

Salmon in Citrus Sauce

– A guest recipe post by Anna Atkins of @lemonsqueezy – Salmon in Citrus Sauce – A yummy, quick healthy dish!

Notes from Anna:

A healthy, tasty dinner bursting with zingy flavours.  Salmon is rich in the all important Omega 3 healthy fats, while the citrus fruit adds vitamin C and antioxidants.

Flake any leftover salmon and mix with chopped tomatoes and lettuce for a delicious sandwich filling for tomorrow’s lunch.


INGREDIENTS


INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Wash the orange and lemon. Grate the zest and squeeze the juice.
  2. Peel and grate the ginger.
  3. Rinse the salmon fillets and pat dry with kitchen paper.
  4. Trim the spring onions, discarding the tougher green end and the outer leaf. Finely slice and rinse under running water.
  5. Warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the salmon fillets and cook over a very low heat for 3-4 minutes on each side.
  6. Scatter the spring onion slices, the orange and lemon zest and the grated ginger on top of the salmon and continue cooking for a further 2-3 minutes.
  7. Pour the orange and lemon juice over the salmon, sprinkle with salt and cook for another couple of minutes.
  8. Serve immediately.

Try this with Anna’s SAUTÉED SPINACH WITH SHALLOTS