Healthy Nacho chips, say what?!

I don't usually enjoy junk food, however the one thing I do miss quite a bit are nacho tortilla chips! The type that are typically made from corn tortillas, shaped as triangles and deep fried.

I found this fantastic recipe for homemade corn free, gluten free chips and was pleasantly surprised! These are really really easy to make and delicious! Perfect to serve with any sort of dip!

For each 'big tortilla pancake', I used half a cup of besan flour( chickpea flour), one teaspoon of olive oil, paprika, salt, pepper and enough water to make a thick, yet pour-able batter. Have your non stick pan on a low heat and give each side about 5 minutes till lightly brown and 'dried up'.

I made myself a few Lin seed chips to enjoy whilst I catch up with Masterchef.

Xx

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Lazy dinner!

Just baked some banana muffins, almond /choc muffins, goji berry cookies, choc chip cookies and sweet potato brownies to take to my aunt's place tomorrow:)

That done, I really didn't want to slave over dinner, and to be honest, the simplest meals can easily be the yummiest! I simply roasted a chicken, made some sweet potato wedges and steamed some courgette slices up.

Also, it has now been 11 days since Tom has started his healthy eating regime and has lost 3.7 kgs to date!

Check out this cute doggie cake I just made! Bought the mould for Rs 35 today from Port Louis!

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Healthy finds in Port Louis

Decided to go down to work with my brother today and check out Port Louis since I last visited in December. I went down armed with some healthy banana muffins to give out to the workers as I used to always make them cakes when I was little!
It was really lovely to see some old faces as well as family :)

On my break, I had a little nosy around and found a lovely little shop that sells all sorts of grains and nuts and managed to get some sunflower seeds, white poppy seeds, bulgar wheat, dates, lin seeds and white sesame seeds all for about Rs 140, a fraction of what I would pay in health shops in the UK!

There are quite a few of these wholesale shops in Port Louis, but the staff here were particularly nice and even told me that they would try and get some chia seeds in the shop for my next visit!!
The shop is called 'Succ. Dawood Jhurry & Co. ltd' and is found on Corderie street in Port Louis.




I also went to have a quick look around the fruit and veg market. I love the hustle and bustle of that place, the freshness of all the produce and the reasonable prices on offer. I got a massive cauliflower for Rs 35 whereas a mini one would probably costs about Rs 100 up north!

I didn't have much time left so I just had a quick look around Chinatown. I found some great wholewheat and buckwheat noodles for around Rs 40 a 500 g pack, lots of interesting dried fruits and nuts including goji berries, some funky looking pineapple peeler/slicer, cute heart shaped wooden skewers, lovely ribbons, beads and many more goodies!

If you have some time to spare, you should definitely put on some walking shoes and have a good look around the variety of little novelty shops and food stores dotted around Port Louis for some great bargains!

Finished off my afternoon with some yummy 'Niouk yen', Mauritian dim-sum steamed dumplings made from 'Chou-Chou'.

Xx

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Chicken curry

I've been lacking a bit of inspiration for dinners recently, so I decided to make up a quick chicken curry, actually eating a mini bowl of this whilst writing this post :)! Nom nom nom, the key to this is a good tasty curry powder!

EASY PEASY CHICKEN CURRY

• 4 chicken breasts, chopped up ( skinless, on the bone or without)
• Half a can of tomatoes
• Half an onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• A few curry leaves
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• Couple of handfuls of chopped veggies; carrots, courgettes, mushrooms..
• 2 tsps curry powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil

1. In a large heavy based saucepan, pan fry your onion, garlic and curry leaves in some olive oil.
2. Add in your chicken pieces and potato chunks and fry for about 5 minutes.
3. Dissolve your curry powder in a large glass of water and pour it over the chicken, simmer until the potatoes soften.
4. Add in your handfuls of veggies and simmer for a couple minutes.
5. Add in your tomatoes and season to taste.

Hard to make curry look good but here you go!
Xx

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Quick, easy and inexpensive tuna burgers!

Woke up at 5.30 to make my brother his usual healthy breakfast fix, after he headed off to work, I really had no motivation at all to exercise! I kept thinking of things to do to put off my morning workout but then remember coming across this picture a while ago on 'fitterannemarie's Instagram' (boohoo).

Sounds corny but its so true! If you want results, you should be able to at least sacrifice a fraction of your time to work for it!! After an hour of Bob Harper's exercise DVD, I was starving(grr mum!) and wanted something really meaty but quick to make!

What makes these burgers so appealing is that you only really need 2 main ingredients :canned tuna and eggs! And then you can add in whatever you like to spice these babies up, I might try lemon zest and chilli next time to make a tangy burger!

QUICK TUNA BURGERS

• 1 200 g can of tuna in water or brine, drained (flaked, chunks, steak, whatever really)
• Half an egg
• Seasoning: I used salt, pepper, half a dried chilli and some chopped onion.

1. Break up your drained tuna with a fork, mix in half a beaten egg and your seasonings.
2. Form burgers with the mix using your hands, pressing them down firmly so that they hold their shape.
3. Pan fry for a couple of minutes on each side until golden brown.

I had mine with some salad and sliced avocado,yum yum, these are so much tastier and have more textured as opposed to a boring can of tuna!

Enjoy 

Xx

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Chickpea feast!

Procrastination means that I end up reading lots of random articles online and following a whole load of different people on Instagram!
I've recently noticed lots of recipes based around chickpeas and when 'googling' their benefits, learnt that there are several health benefits linked to these yummy beans!!

• Digestive track support, decreased cardiovascular risks, better regulation of blood sugar just to name a few! Also, chickpeas increase satiety and therefore should lead to lower calorie intake.

So, it was clear that I had to bake something with chickpeas in it! I really do think I'm addicted to baking! I should give it a break because our freezer now has a full shelf of frozen sweet potato brownies, aubergine mud cake, banana oat muffins, zucchini cake and many more healthy treats! However, the sound of a healthy chocolate chip cookie was too tempting to resist!

GOOD FOR YOU CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

• 240 g canned chickpeas, drained, washed and dried
• 75 g nut butter (I used peanut butter)
• 50 ml milk (any type) or water
• Handful of cocoa nibs or dark chocolate chips
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Blend your chickpeas, nut butter and milk into a smooth paste.
3. Fold in your baking powder and chocolate chips.
4. Drop a tablespoon of dough onto a sheet of grease-proof paper for each cookie, this batter should make about 12 cookies.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned and cookies have a 'crackled' look.

This cookie dough was so delicious on its own! It is basically a sweet choc chip hummus dip, I might save some next time as a dip for apple wedges!

CHICKPEA AND ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

I had half a can of chickpeas left, so thought I'd play around with a fritter recipe. You can really add in whatever veggies you like in this, I had zucchinis and carrots on hand, but anything like corn or peas would also go down a treat!

• 200 g chickpeas (slightly blended up, you still want some chunks of chickpea in it)
• 60 ml milk
• 1 egg
• 50 g whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 220 g zucchini
• 1 carrot
• Seasoning: salt, pepper, curry powder(optional)

1. Mix your flour, baking powder and seasonings in a large bowl and make a well in the centre of your mix.
2. Break in an egg and pour in the milk, slowly beat it all together to form a smooth batter.
3. Add in your veggies and get frying! I pan fried my fritters in some coconut oil. They took about 3 minutes on each side (make sure not to make them too thick, or it'll be raw on the inside).

Xx

WOOHOO UPDATE: Tom usually hates zucchinis, probably because they're ugly and green! I told him these were corn fritters (our fav at any Thai restaurant:) ) and he had a few and absolutely loved them!

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Fruity Prawn salad

Salads don't have to be boring!!!
Spent the morning enjoying this beautiful Mauritian weather, swimming and sun-tanning by the pool:)

Wanted something really light and refreshing for lunch, so I made up a quick prawn salad with mangoes, finished it all up in no time at all, so yummy!!!

1. Mix together cubes of cucumber, tomato, mango (not overripe), finely chopped onions and lots of coriander. Add in some boiled prawns.
2. Dress with lemon juice, chopped up chilli, salt and pepper.
3. I served my prawn 'salsa' on a bed of leftover salad from yesterday and topped with some hemp seeds for some crunch.

NOM NOM NOM! Xx

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Eat clean!

I remember visiting my sister when I decided to start eating properly, I mentioned 'clean eating', she looked at me, giggled and asked if I was eating 'dirty' beforehand! Anyways, here are a few pictures to summarize the whole clean eating healthy lifestyle :)

I do think that eating 'CLEAN' is the only way to go to reach your long term goals. No fad diet or supplement is going to be sustainable in the long run. There isn't any fixed definition of clean eating but it is all about keeping food simple, about eating food in its most natural state, therefore avoiding foods that have been processed, have loads of added preservatives and that have basically been stripped of their nutritional value!

•  So instead of having lots of your favourite veggies baked in a 'gratin' cheesy sauce for about an hour or so, why don't you just steam them or stir fry with some fresh herbs?
• But what about your favourite takeaway or meal out you ask? Well, 'clean eating' is about keeping the mind healthy as well! So as long as you eat clean and healthy most of the time, you should allow yourself a 'cheat meal' once in a while, preferable not more than once a week! This way, you won't feel like you're on a restrictive unpleasant diet, a lot of people have been calling this the 80-20 rule, being good 80% of the time and allowing yourself to indulge 20% of the time, making this lifestyle way more realistic!

What you eat is definitely more important and contributes more towards reaching goals as opposed to just exercising. I think it's important to find some 'fitspo' (fitness inspiration) that you can relate to and that will keep you motivated in reaching your goals! I follow several people on Instagram such as:

• http://instagram.com/happygrapefruit for her delicious recipes
• http://instagram.com/kelseyfit Amazing girl who balances studies and keeping fit
• http://undressedskeleton.tumblr.com/ more great recipes!

If all else fails, you could always just try this!

Xx

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Peanut butter protein bites!

I bought a big bag of pure whey protein powder from the UK back with me but haven't been able to cook with it yet, so I decided to make a pre/ post workout snack for Tom today! If you don't want to add protein to yours, you can substitute it with any type of flour such as almond or coconut flour :)

PEANUT BUTTER PROTEIN BITES

• 100 g oat flour (blended up oats)
• 40 g protein powder (or substitute with other type of flour)
• 140 g fruit or veg puree ( I used banana and pumpkin, you could try apple, sweet potato etc)
• 50 g peanut butter
• 200 ml of milk
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Half a teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tbsp yogurt
• 1-2 tbsp honey (optional-depending if you use fruit or not)
• 1 tbsp flax seeds or chia seeds (optional)

• Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
• Blend up your oats to make your oat flour, make sure you use a LARGE/DEEP bowl or jug or else this will happen :(.

• Add in the rest of your ingredients except for the yogurt and the seeds and blend it all together until you get a smooth paste.
• Fold in your yogurt and seeds and if the mix is slightly too sift, add a drop more milk.
• Pour into a greased cake tin and bake for about 20-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. I thought my cake looked a bit 'sad' so I added some cocoa to half of the mixture and made a 'swirl' effect cake with a few more dollops of peanut butter in between!
• Serve chunks of this with some peanut butter, sliced banana, melted dark chocolate, yogurt or whatever takes your fancy!

Xx

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Meaty mushrooms and more muffin madness!

These mushrooms are delicious served as a starter or as a side dish. You really don't need much meat to stuff these. They taste very meaty, juicy and are really filling!

MEATY ITALIAN STYLE MUSHROOMS
This made enough filling to stuff 8 large mushrooms.

• Portobello mushrooms
• 200 g of lean mince beef/ turkey
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• Some chopped up courgette or carrots
• Sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp of light mayonnaise (optional)

1. Pan fry your onion and garlic, once softened, add in your meat, finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, courgettes/carrots and the stems from the mushrooms.
2. Once the meat is cook, season with salt, pepper, dried herbs and cinnamon (I think I am definitely addicted to cinnamon!).
3. Mix in 1 tbsp of mayonnaise and your mix is now ready to stuff the mushrooms. I tried some with and without mayonnaise, the ones with the mayonnaise were definitely more moist and juicy but both were as tasty :).
4. Stuff your mushrooms and top with a sprinkle of cheese if you want. Bake in a hot oven (180 degrees Celsius) for about 30 minutes.

Decided to try out some more muffins to add to our box of healthy muffins in the freezer. Decided to stick to a gluten free muffin, I've been more or less on a gluten free diet for about week and my stomach definitely feels flatter!

CHOCCY ALMOND MUFFINS

• 100 g ground almonds
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Half a tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp honey (or more!)
• 1 tbsp oats (optional)
• 1 tbsp yogurt (or a dash of milk, just to get to the right consistency) (optional- if using oats)
• 1 tsp vanilla (optional)
• 1 tbsp chia seeds or some choc chips (optional)

1. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
2. Mix your almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, chia seeds/choc chips and cocoa together.
3. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the melted coconut oil, vanilla, honey and egg. You could stop here and bake your muffins if you aren't keen on oats.
4. Add your oats and yogurt and mix until well combined. Fill your muffins cases and bake in a hot oven for 15-20 minutes. ( Makes 5-6 muffins).

Make sure (whether you add oats+yogurt or not) that your batter is of dropping consistency, if it is too thick just add a splash of milk to the batter.

Xx

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No gym? No problem!

Just a quick post about exercise! Lots of people use 'not having access to a gym' or 'not having enough time' as their main excuses for not exercising. You really don't need to be a member of a gym to get a proper workout.
Also, shorter more intense exercises have been found to be more effective than long hours of repetitive cardio. Apparently 15 minutes of HIIT (high intensity interval training) can have the same benefits as a couple of hours of long, slow running.

Here's a link to my gym instructor's wife's blog and her HIIT challenge results!

I just did this quick HIIT video I found on youtube (although I did find the narrator's voice quite annoying!) Put some of your favourite music on and start sweating!!!

Also, here's another one of my fav Cassey Ho's under 5 minute videos.

Xx

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Sweet potato brownies... nom nom nom

I've tried making these in Manchester before, but they seem to be tastier here! Probably because of the different type of sweet potato I used. We only get the white fleshed ones here in Mauritius and they work great in this recipe!
These are NOT NICE WARM, they actually taste nicer the next day and even yummier frozen! I always have a few little chunks of this in my freezer when I want something sweet to nibble on :). These are like a cross between brownies and cake, if you want something more indulgent, definitely make Aubergine chocolate cake!

SWEET POTATO BROWNIES/CAKE SQUARES

• 1 large sweet potato, cooked and mashed ( I used 4 mini ones- to end up with about 200 g of mashed puree)
• 3 tbsp of honey
• 3 tbsp of coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp of cocoa
• 3 tbsp of coconut flour (I'm sure these would work as well with almond meal)
• 3 eggs, whisked
• Half a tsp of baking powder
• Half a tsp of cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• OPTIONAL: cocoa nibs or dark choc chips

1. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
2. Cook your potato till soft (bake, microwave, boil.. any way will do!), peel and puree.
3. Stir in all the wet ingredients: honey, coconut oil, vanilla and eggs. (Try your batter at this stage and decide if you'd prefer to add some more honey- it does become less sweet as it bakes).
4. Fold in the dry ingredients: coconut flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and choc chips if using.
5. Pour the batter into a well greased and floured glass dish and bake for 25-30 minutes.
6. Leave to cool (and perhaps freeze!) and preferably enjoy with some yogurt, fruit sauce, peanut butter etc..

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Celebration pancakes!

So it has been a week since Tom has changed his eating habits and started exercising regularly. He has lost about 2 kgs so far and I thought he deserved a yummy (yet healthy!) breakfast to celebrate. A big stack of moist indulgent pancakes it was going to be :)

GLUTEN FREE APPLE PANCAKES 
I wanted to try something slightly different from my usual Banana pancakes, so decided to make these ones up. Adding mashed up fruit into your recipes is a good way to disguise them (for kids especially!) but also gives the recipe natural sweetness.

• 1 apple, peeled and cut up into small chunks
• 3 tbsp of milk
• 1 egg
• 4-5 tbsp of almond meal
• Vanilla
• Pinch of baking soda

1.  Blend your apple, milk and egg together until the apple is smooth. If you do not have a blender, you can microwave your apple chunks with a drop of water and mash it up with the back of your spoon once soft.
2. Add in the almond meal, vanilla and baking soda and mix well to form a batter, if it is too runny, add in a bit more almond meal or you could always add in some oats.
3. Have a hot, well greased pan ready and spoon on dollops of the pancake batter. Wait till they bubble up nicely and form a slight crust before flipping them round (they take a bit longer to cook then normal pancakes).

This recipe makes a stack enough for 1 hungry person, although it doesn't look like much quantity-wise, Tom couldn't finish up the whole stack! I layered mine with bananas and peanut butter and topped them off with 1 square of melted Dark chocolate. My friend Ember usually makes a lovely healthy chocolate sauce by dissolving some cocoa into milk/water with a drop of honey as well. 

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Chickpea burgers and smoked marlin pâté

Meat-free Mondays!- I wanted to make a really filling, tasty lunch whilst keeping it vegetarian, so I decided to try to make chickpea burgers.

CHICKPEA BURGERS

• 1 normal sized can of chickpeas, drained (about 200g drained chickpeas)
• Bunch of coriander
• 1 egg (or 1 tbsp of ground flax seed mixed into a gel with water)
• 1 dried chilli
• 4 tbsps of almond meal
• 1 teaspoon of curry powder
• Coconut oil, for frying

1. Blend everything together, taste and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat up your frying pan with some coconut oil, using wet hands, form burgers out of the paste and fry.
3. Fry the burgers for a couple of minutes on each side until crispy.
4. Makes about 5 burgers. Serve with any chutney such as 'Chatini Pomme d'amour'.

SMOKED MARLIN PATE

My mum is trying out the low carb-high fat diet, so requested something tasty to be made with the tub of mascarpone she bought. So I made a quick and easy marlin mousse that can be used as a spread or as a dip for veggie sticks.

• About 200 g smoked marlin
• 125 g Mascarpone
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Lemon juice, salt and pepper to season

1. Just blend the smoked marlin and mascarpone together till nicely combined.
2. Slowly pour in the olive oil, season et voila!, you have a really tasty dip :)

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Morning muffins

Just a few pictures of muffins for my mum's Mahjong morning group. Feeling quite knackered after a 25 mile bike ride yesterday, taking the doggies for a long walk and some HIIT exercises with Tom. I've got to prepare for my internship today so once all that is done, I'll get down to writing some recipes :)

                                                         

Also, just a quick picture of yesterday's lunch, PRAWN AND AVOCADO HAND ROLLS.

I just used Nori sheet triangles, carrot and cucumber sticks, light mayo, some prawns and sliced avocado!

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Homemade coconut flour and coconut milk!

I've been really frustrated recently because I constantly browse through so many lovely Paleo, gluten free, grain free recipes that use COCONUT FLOUR, but for some reason, I haven't been able to find any in Mauritius.
So, I decided to make my own! A lot of the instructions I found online take about 4-5 hours to get to the final product (apparently if you just blend up the desiccated coconut directly, you end up with coconut butter), but playing around with the steps I managed to make mine in about 2 hours (45 minutes-1 hour for the desiccated coconut  to ferment) and make some delicious coconut milk along the way!! It is a very time  consuming job, but if you make a big batch of it and want to try some delicious Paleo or gluten free recipes, it is definitely worth making! :)

HOMEMADE COCONUT FLOUR (& MILK!)
I used 2 cups of coconut to 4 cups of water. This made just over 1 cup of coconut flour, and quite a bit of coconut milk- which is sooo yummy chilled, or mixed into smoothies! You can also freeze the milk in little bags, ready for your Thai curries, if you prefer a thicker milk, use less water.

• A good blender
• Muslin cloth
• A sieve
• Desiccated coconut (not sweetened, just the basic stuff, I get "rocket" brand)
• Water
• Patience!

1. In a large bowl or jug, cover 2 cups of desiccated coconut with 4 cups of boiling water. Leave this to sit for about an hour.
2. I used a hand blender for this, blend the mix for a couple of minutes until well mixed (It will still be grainy, don't expect a smooth liquid).
3. Place the muslin cloth over the sieve and place on top of a bowl. Pour through your liquid from step 2.
4. Once all the visible liquid has gone through to the receiving bowl, form a tight ball with the residue in the muslin cloth and squeeze tightly to get ride of any excess water. All this liquid is your coconut milk :), chill it and voila, you have a very refreshing drink!
5. Now, the residue needs to be dried to then be blender into coconut flour. Many recipes use an oven at low temperatures, but I used a heavy based saucepan on a VERY LOW heat, and dried out this mix for about 30 minutes stirring around constantly (do not let it get brown).
6. Only one more step now! Once the dried up powder cools, blend it up for about 5 minutes until it turns into a lovely fine powder.

I hope the steps don't put you off! Have fun, 

Xx

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Easy refreshing dessert

Just made a really quick and easy dessert ready for dad once he's back from work. Took about 10 minutes to cook !

MANGO SAGO PUDDING

• About 4-5 tablespoons of sago per person.
• About 25 tablespoons of milk.
• Half a vanilla pod (or essence)
• 2-3 teaspoons of honey.

1. Place the sago in a saucepan, give it a quick rinse and pour away the excess water.
2. Add in the milk, the vanilla seeds from the pod and the honey and simmer on a very low heat. Stir this mix slowly for about 10 minutes until the sago is cooked through (You might need to add a little bit of extra water or milk if it absorbs the liquid too quickly.)
3. Once cooked, leave to cool. To make it creamier, you can stir in some cream or coconut milk.
4. Layer with tropical fruit, coconut or whatever takes your fancy!

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4 am baking!!

We've just got a new puppy, and last night was its first night without its mummy :(! So that meant that we had a very noisy night! I ended up having to go down and play around with Trevor/Sam/ Obi (wan-kenobi!) at 4 am.

Once he was back to sleep I decided to bake an aubergine chocolate cake for my aunt and experiment with a samoussa recipe, because us Mauritians love our samoussas :D!

HEALTHY SAMOUSSAS
These are more like a cross between samoussas and Vietnamese spring rolls, but the curried filling does give these an authentic Mauritian touch. Also each wrapper contains about 10 calories as opposed to the usual carb-y /buttery pastry.

• A couple of spring roll wrappers, 'galette de riz' (the type used for vietnamese spring rolls).
• Any filling of your choice (I stir-fried some onion, cabbage and beansprouts in curry powder, delish!)

1. Soak one wrapper in a bowl of water, after about 30 seconds or once softened, place the wrapper on a dry clean cloth.
2. Place a teaspoon (NOTE: I tried with more filling, but this causes the wrapper to tear when baking) of filling in the middle of the circle, trying to shape it into a rough triangle shape. Then, bring up the 3 sides surrounding the 'triangle of filling' and stick them down. You can use the following link for clearer instructions. http://www.cutoutfoldup.com/126-fold-an-equilateral-triangle-from-a-circle.php
3. Place on a WELL greased tray and bake for about 20 minutes on one side, and 10 minutes on the other. Perhaps next time I'll try to pan fry them too.

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Paleo goji berry cookies

Goji berries are known as a 'super-food' and have had a lot of buzz in the health and nutrition field recently. These berries are known for their powerful anti-oxidant properties and help cure many other diseases such as diabetes. They have been enjoyed for over 2000 years in traditional Chinese medicine.

I've always wanted to try some Goji berries but have been put off by how expensive they are! In health shops or health sections in supermarkets they average at around Rs 500 (10 pounds) per packet. I mentioned this to my dad and he managed to get a pack for Rs 130 in Chinatown! Apparently they are used in several soups and chicken dishes by the Chinese population! Beware though, they do taste horrible on their own, very very bitter! However they are really tasty in these cookies and complement the nuttiness of the almonds and sweetness from the honey.

Inspired from today's talk, I've made some grain free, almond, coconut and goji berry cookies.

PALEO GOJI BERRY COOKIES

• 135 g almond meal (ground almonds)
• 65 g flaked almonds
• 75 g desiccated coconut
• 40 g goji berries
• 80 g honey
• 60 ml coconut oil (or nut oil such as macadamia)
• Half teaspoon of Bicarbonate powder
• One tablespoon of water

1. Preheat your oven to 130 degrees Celsius.
2. Mix the coconut, goji berries, almond meal and flaked almonds together in a large bowl.
3. In a small saucepan or in the microwave, gently heat the honey and the oil till warm.
4. In a small dish, dissolve the bicarbonate powder in the water, whisk this mix into the warm honey and oil until it bubbles up.
5. Pour this frothy wet mix into the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. If it looks slightly dry, add some more water until it all comes together nicely.
6. Form little balls and flatten onto a sheet of grease-proof paper or onto a greased baking tray. This recipe should make about 20 or so biscuits.
7. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool (they harden as they cool).

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Low fat diet anyone?

THE NUTRITIONAL FORMULA

Just back from a very interesting talk by Dr Chase Webber. I don't want to write a massively long post about everything he talked about but I do urge you to visit his website www.drchasewebber.com for more info on scientific research and for more nutritional info.
He promotes a "Gatherer-Hunter diet/ Low carb, high fat diet" similar to the Paleo diet, however without the dairy restrictions. He emphasizes the need to limit our intake of carbohydrates to about 10g per meal depending on your body type. So basically, we are talking about a low carbohydrates ketogenic diet ( just googled 'ketogenic' and apparently this diet is used to treat epilepsy aswell! Dr Chase mentioned recent research into helping cancer patients with this diet aswell ).

THE 'LOW FAT' CRAZE?
We have all been brought up to believe and also influenced by the media that a low fat diet is the best, 'If you eat fat, you'll become fat'. This all started in the 1970's, whereby the 'Low fat era' begun!

With the reduction in consumption of fats and animal proteins, people swapped to higher intakes of grains, carbohydrates and sugars.However, since then, there has been significant evidence to show that obesity and diseases such as diabetes have increased drastically in countries such as the US.  This is because most of the negative information about fats was based on theory/belief or simple correlations vs fact. For instance, Ancel's '6 country' study  which was a 'cherry picked' graph, conveyed the message that a high fat diet was directly linked to high levels of heart diseases. However, the study left out countries such as France or Greece whereby although high levels of fat were consumed, lower levels of heart diseases were observed. The underlying message of the presentation was therefore as opposed to watching your intake of fat, enjoy your nuts, seeds, meats, eggs and dairy products but rather, watch and limit your intake of carbohydrates and sugars.

Anyways, you can read up about all of this, do your own research and make up your own opinions about fats and carbs, but one important point from this talk was that calorie controlled diets, fad diets, and silly crazes such as juice diet are all useless in the long run as a sustainable diet plan.

Another surprising point Dr Chase pointed out was the in Mauritius, only about 34% of the population are of a normal weight, leaving the other 66% as either overweight or obese, not surprising according to this diet, as our diets here tend to be made up of carbs: rice, faratas, dholl puris, dupain frire etc....
Now off to try to perfect some almond goji berry biscuits :)
Xx

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Coconut oil

Just a quick post about coconut oil. I've recently started using coconut oil in all my baked goodies and snacks. I've read a lot about coconut oil and its benefits and here is a little extract:

'White and solid at room temperature, coconut oil is slower to oxidise and less damaged and chemically altered by heat than other cooking oils. So it's arguably the healthiest oil to fry with.

Coconut oil is one of the best sources of heart-healthy medium-chain fatty acids, notably lauric acid, which enhances the immune system through its antiviral and antibacterial effects. These acids also stimulate metabolism, and some research suggests they can aid weight loss.'

500 g of cold pressed organic coconut oil costs about 10 pounds in the UK, I did manage to find a cheaper industrially refined type in Asian stores in Manchester for about 3 pounds.
I still need to look around for a cheaper substitute in Mauritius, but for now I've been using "Dr Bronner's Magic 'All-one' FAIRTRADE & ORGANIC, coconut oil" for about Rs 390 for a 14 fl oz jar, I do have to say that this stuff smells amazing!! They sell this one in Store 2000, Labourdonnais fruit shop and in most supermarkets' healthy food section, I'm sure shops such as Quartier Gourmet in Quatre Bornes must stock some up too (although you should probably give them a call and double check!)

COCONUT WATER
Coconut water is such a fitness craze in the UK at the moment! And it is crazy that a small 200 ml bottle of it costs about 3.50 pounds, when we can get it in abundance in Mauritius! Coconut water contains enzymes that help to detoxify and repair the body and contains electrolytes that are essential for proper hydration. Apparently coconut water was used as a plasma substitute in the war times!!

Now off to a nutrition talk by Dr Chase Webber N.D and will find out what he thinks about all these new fitness crazes :)
Xx

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Healthy take on Chicken kiev

Sadly, I don't have a proper picture of this one when I made it :(, but I had it the next day with salad, you can see it on the furthest plate, the little brown crunchy looking thing right behind the bread!!

CHICKEN KIEV
Filling, per chicken breast:

• 1 tsp light cream cheese
• Half teaspoon of pesto
• Some minced garlic (optional)

Topping, for about 5 breasts:

• Beaten egg 
• A couple of tablespoons of whole wheat flour
• A couple of tablespoons of cooked quinoa
• Black pepper and paprika

1. Make a horizontal cut across the chicken breast to create a 'pocket' for the filling.
2. Mix the filling ingredients together then stuff the pocket with about a teaspoon of the filling, do not overfill as it will overflow whilst pan frying.
3. Mix the cooked quinoa with a tablespoon of flour and some pepper and paprika to season.
4. Once all the breasts are filled, dunk the top side into the plain wholewheat flour, followed by the beaten egg and then into the quinoa mix ( press down firmly so that the quinoa sticks to it).
5. Pan fry the chicken breast crust side down until crispy. I then cooked them in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes till cooked through but I suppose you could cook them just as nicely on the frying pan on a low heat.

Felt like a little something sweet before bed and got inspired by 'Reese's peanut butter cups', Mmm they're my fav!

DARK CHOCOLATE COATED BANANA PEANUT BUTTER BITES

These are really satisfying but I didn't use any sweetener in the chocolate topping, unless you do like very dark chocolate (i.e 90% cocoa), I would definitely add honey in my next lot!

• Banana
• Peanut butter
• 1 tsp coconut oil (makes the chocolate harden when frozen)
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 to 1 tsp honey

1. Slice your banana and pair the slices up ready to be filled.
2. Top one slice of banana with a dollop of peanut butter and then sandwich it together with another piece of banana.
3. Melt your coconut oil in the microwave for a few seconds, add in your honey and cocoa powder and mix till it turns into a delicious choc topping.
4. Now roll your banana PB sandwiches into the chocolate sauce and place on a plate ready to be frozen. These harden after about 5- 10 minutes.

Enjoy!
xxx

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Let it drip!

Just did 20 minutes of Bob Harper's "Inside out method" DVD I bought off amazon. It really is great and gets you sweating in no time at all! It is a strength DVD, no jumping around crazy cardio, but sets of squats, lunges, push ups etc using hand weights. Definitely worth getting if you're not a member of the gym and would prefer to exercise in the comfort of your own home.

Wasn't really feeling like a savoury dinner so made up some oaty crepe/tortilla type pancakes for din-dins :)

OATY CREPES/TORTILLAS
To make 2 crepes:

• 4 tbsp of oat flour (grind up quick cooking oats in a blender to a fine powder)
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp yogurt
• Cinnamon
• Quarter teaspoon of baking powder
• Milk, just a few tbsp to get the right consistency.

1. Mix the oat flour, cinnamon and baking powder together.
2. Make a well in the flour mix, break in the egg and add the yogurt. Mix until well incorporated.
3. Now slowly add enough milk so that your mix is of a runny consistency.
4. Pour the mixture onto a hot WELL GREASED pan and shape into a circle, leave to bubble up and cook for about a minute, once ready, flip and cook for a couple of seconds on the other side.
5. Top and fill with anything of your choice :), I filled mine with peanut butter, chia seeds and sliced banana and drizzled the top with honey.

These are very filling and not as fluffy as normal crepes as they are not made with refined flour or oil, you could add a tbsp or so of coconut oil for a slightly fluffier crepe.

xxx

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"I know how to be patient, and anything is possible."

Just back from a girly morning of stretching class, shopping and sushi lunch :). Started off with a stretching session at the School of movement with Natacha Jarousse. I expected a Yoga/Body Vive style class like the ones I attend at the Aquatics Centre in Manchester, however it surpassed my expectations!
I really do feel so relaxed and at peace! Most of my knots and sore tensed up muscles from weight lifting seem to have disappeared, I'm really quite surprised by how much of a difference a single class can make!
Today's mantra followed something along the lines of "I know how to be patient, and anything can happen", the class focused on the emotional cortex, anxiety and determination and ended with a bit of meditation.

Ok I'll stop blabbing on about it now, but I do think that the class highlighted the importance of not only eating well and exercising to be healthy, but also meditating and positive thinking for mental health and relaxation. Please check out Natacha's website, it has some great nutrition tips and gives details about classes in Labourdonnais Mapou and Moka. Someone at the class mentioned that they had actually been on my blog and were going to try my chilli recipe! :)

Also, I've been making the boys packed lunches for the past week and a staple snack has been my sweet potato hash brown egg muffins.

SWEET POTATO HASH BROWN EGG MUFFINS

• Peeled and grated sweet potato (1 fist sized potato made about 4 muffins)
• Onion
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• eggs, preferably NOT large (1 per muffin)

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 
2. Drizzle a hot pan with olive oil and fry the chopped onion until soft, add in the grated sweet potato and fry for about 5 minutes until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper if you want.
3. Press down your potato mix into well greased muffin tins, forming a sort of nest ready for your egg. Make sure that there aren't any holes in your nest for the egg to seap through.
4. Carefully crack an egg into each nest, and bake for 20-25 minutes (20 for a softer yolk).

NAUGHTIER VERSION: Crisp up some finely chopped up bacon and add to the sweet potato mix, or beat up your egg and add bacon to that before you bake the egg muffins.
HEALTHIER VERSION: Just use egg whites in the sweet potato nests.

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