Healthy Recipes for a healthy life - Blog

Prawn Pho – Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free

One of my favourite dishes when I go to a Vietnamese restaurant is Pho is a hearty, healthy broth packed full of delicious ingredients. This is my take on a prawn pho, the prawns can easily be replaced with chicken or tofu if you prefer. If I make it with chicken I use homemade chicken stock to add extra goodness.

This recipe uses cloves which are often an ingredient that get bought for a particular recipe, like ham at Christmas, and then sit in the cupboard for the rest of the year. However there are many health benefits to cloves they have anti-fungal, antibacterial, antiseptic and analgesic properties. Due to these properties they are commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine.

Ingredients:

Serves 6

7 whole cloves
4 star anaise
½ cinnamon stick
6 black pepper corns
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1” fresh ginger, grated
½ red chilli (to taste)
2 pints vegetable stock
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soya sauce
½ packet rice noodles
½ packet mushrooms
1 packet of baby corn
½ packet green beans
2 packets cooked prawns
2 spring onions
2 limes
Small handful of fresh coriander
Small handful of fresh mint

Method:

Put the star anise, cinnamon, black peppercorns and cloves in a dry frying pan and heat until the aromas of the spices begins to release
Put the spices in a pestle and mortar and roughly grind up, then wrap them in a muslin cloth and secure
Place the stock in a large pan and add the spice parcel, ginger, garlic and half of the chilli, simmer for minimum of 10 minutes to allow the flavours to merge
Slice the mushrooms and chop the baby corn and green beans in half and then add them to the stock along with the rice noodles, fish sauce and soya sauce
Simmer until the noodles are cooked
Divide the prawns between the bowls and then place the pho on top
Add slices spring onions, fresh coriander, mint and squeeze with lime to serve

NB if you don’t have muslin you can place the spices directly in the pan and simmer for at least 10 minutes and then strained the stock before adding the remaining ingredients.

Lunch

Quick and Easy, Baked Salmon, New Potatoes and Vegetables (Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free)

I love this dish, it is so quick and easy to do when you get in from work and it is packed full of omega 3 fatty acids which are essential to your overall health.

Omega 3 and Omega 6 are two types of fat that are essential for human health, the body cannot create them, and we must consume them. However, most people don’t consume enough omega 3 and too much omega 6, the ideal ratio is 1:1 of omega 6:omega 3 research shows that many people consume a ratio of between 20:1 and 50:1.

Eating enough omega 3 has been linked to helping prevent or ease symptoms of the following health conditions: coronary heart disease and stroke, essential fatty acid deficiency in unborn babies (retinal and brain development), lupus, nephropathy, osteoporosis, cancer, Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis. In addition to this Omega 3 can support general brain health including memory loss and osteoporosis.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

750g new potatoes, halved
2 red onions, quartered
4 salmon fillets
2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled (no need to chop)
250g cherry tomatoes
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 lemon
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 head broccoli
220g green beans

Method:

Preheat the oven to gas 6/200C
Place the new potatoes in a pan of boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes, until tender. Then drain and shake
Place the potatoes, onion, garlic, rosemary and 1 tbsp of oil into a roasting tin, stir well and roast for 20 minutes
Remove from the oven and add the cherry tomatoes and salmon fillets, sprinkle with the zest of the lemon, then cut the lemon into quarters and squeeze over the ingredients, before placing the lemon wedges in the baking dish. Drizzle with 1 tbsp oil and a cooked sprinkle of black pepper. Return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, until the salmon is cooked and the potatoes are cooked
Cut the broccoli into 2” florets, remove the ends of the green beans and cut in half. Steam the broccoli and green beans for 5 minutes
Serve the salmon dish with the greens and enjoy

Breakfast

Chia Jam

This delicious refined sugar free alternative to strawberry and blueberry jam is packed full of goodness. It is made with just 5 ingredients including fruit, chia seeds and honey, can be made in 5 minutes and lasts for about 6 weeks.

Chia seeds have recently grown in popularity and become one of the top ‘super foods’ as they are packed full of nutrients and are easy to digest when correctly prepared providing a great energy boost.

Aztec warriors ate chia seeds to give them high energy and endurance, it is said that just 1 spoonful of chia could sustain them for 24 hours. Chia means “strength” in the Mayan language.

Chia seed benefits include promoting healthy skin, reducing signs of ageing, supporting the heart and digestive system, building stronger bones and muscles.

To get the best flavour for your jam it is best to use fruits that are in season. This is easy to do in the summer when there is an abundance of berries in season, in the winter I use frozen berries that have been picked in season (either I pick them myself and freeze them or many supermarkets sell frozen berries that have been picked in season).

This jam works with any berries so pick your favourite combination and enjoy.

Ingredients:

200g strawberries (fresh or frozen)
200g blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tbsp honey
4 tbsp chia seeds
Juice of half a lemon

Method:

Place the berries in a pan with a splash of water and place on a gentle heat until the fruit breaks down in to the texture of a compote
Add the honey and lemon and stir well
Remove from the heat and leave to cool for about 10 minutes
Stir in the chia seeds and then transferred to a sterilised glass jar

When the jam is cool store in the fridge

Dessert

4 Ingredient Healthy Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate mousse that is healthy, tasty, dairy-free, gluten-free and packed full of amino acids!!! Yes you heard right, oh, and it only takes a few minutes to make! Avocados get a lot of bad press but I think they are fantastic, they can help to lower cholesterol, improve your skin and regulate your blood sugar. They are packed full of vitamins and minerals including; Vitamins C, E and potassium.

Ingredients:

1 avocado
2 tsp cacao powder
1 tsp honey or maple syrup
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
Orange zest to taste

Method:

Blend all the ingredients with a hand blender (you may need to add more orange juice if the mixture is too thick)
Put into serving dishes and chill in the fridge until you want to eat it!

Fancy a mint chocolate mousse?

Swap the orange for a couple of drops of peppermint oil and add a good splash of almond milk.

Lunch

Spelt Bread – Vegan

I try to avoid eating too much wheat as it makes me very bloated, however, I find that I cope a lot better with spelt flour. Spelt flour has a different structure to wheat and it is high in fibre making it easier to digest.

Spelt has a number of nutritional properties including: high levels of protein, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, selenum, Vitamin B6 and folic acid. Therefore spelt can help with digestive health, lowering cholesterol, circulation, hormone regulation, bone health and the immune system.

Wholemeal spelt flour can be purchased in most large supermarkets and can be used for a variety of baking recipes. I love how simple this bread is to make. It only takes about 10 minutes of work the rest of the time is spent proving the dough, so you can get on with something else.

Ingredients:

450g of wholemeal spelt flour
7g dried yeast
1tsp Himalayan Salt
1 tbsp olive oil
325ml tepid water
75g pumpkin seeds

Method:

Place the spelt flour, yeast and salt in a bowl and stir well
Add the olive oil and water and mix well using your hands
Turn the dough out on to the side or place in a mixer with a dough hook and knead for approx 5 minutes
Proof the dough by placing the dough into a bowl and covering with a tea towel before placing in a warm place for about an hour, until it has doubled in size
When it has doubled in size, place the dough on the work surface and sprinkle on the seeds then knock the air out of it a little bit before kneading for a few more minutes
Shape the dough and place it into the tins you are going to use, cover with a tea towel and leave to proof in a warm place for a further 30 minutes
Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for about 30 minutes (depending if you have made one big loaf or 2 smaller ones)

Drink

Hangover Cure Smoothie

If you’ve ever had a hangover then you are probably familiar with that feeling of needing to fill your body with anything sugary and carbohydrate related to help make you feel human again. This smoothie is packed full of natural sugars and antioxidants and it helps you to dehydrate and get your day back on track. It has a higher sugar content than smoothies that I would normally make but it is much better for you than the sugary fizzy drinks and crisps that so many of us often grab.

Ingredients:

1 large orange
Large handfuls of berries (fresh or frozen)
1 banana
100g live plain yogurt, dairy-free yogurt or coconut yogurt – Tesco have started doing a dairy-free yogurt that isn’t packed full of sugar

Method:

Squeeze the juice of the orange into your blender
Add the remaining ingredients and blitz until well mixed
Drink straight away

Lifestyle

How to Eat Clean All Year Round

In 2016 we heard a lot about ‘clean eating’ but what does it actually mean and how do you make it part of your everyday life? At this time of year, it’s easy to jump on the bandwagon of any seemingly healthy detox you can get your hands on, but did you know that the body detoxes itself all of the time? So rather than paying a lot for the latest detox supplement or health programme I thought I would share some tips to help you stay healthy, eat clean and support your body to detox all year round. After all detoxing is just removing waste and toxins from the body. There are five major organs involved in the elimination of waste from the body: the lungs, skin, colon, kidneys and liver.

The body cleans itself naturally but only if it is given the chance to do so. The key to detoxing the body is to be kind to it, you really are what you eat. If you put in healthy nutritious food then your body will be able to process the foods quickly and easily, enabling you to use what you need and remove what you don’t. Personally, I try to follow an 80:20 rule, after all no one can be perfect all the time. This is where you eat well 80% of the time and over the week allow for 20% leeway for eating out, treats etc. It doesn’t mean having a chocolate bar and packet of crisps every day.

So, what is clean eating, and how to you make it part of your lifestyle?

For me clean eating is about making and eating as much fresh food as you possibly can, it’s not about cutting out food groups altogether. It’s not a fad diet, counting calories or depriving yourself. It’s about making healthy, informed choices, eating tasty food and avoiding processed foods as much as possible. It’s ok to go out for a meal every now and then and have something you really fancy as long as you don’t do it all the time. If you are making foods from scratch then you know how much salt, sugar and fat is in it and equally important how many portions of vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates there are.

I love fresh juices and smoothies so I try to have one a day, however one or two a week is perfectly fine. It needs to fit into your lifestyle and not be a chore. The key to a healthy juice is to make sure that you don’t have too much fruit in it to avoid a sugar high followed by a low. I use mostly vegetables and add a piece of fruit to sweeten along with an avocado to make it super creamy and packed full of essential fatty acids.

We often hear about antioxidants and the latest ‘super food’. In my opinion the key is to ensure that you eat a balanced diet by having a colourful plate of food at every meal. It is unlikely that any one ‘super food’ will be able to provide you with the wide variety of antioxidants your body requires. For example, if you ate nothing but blueberries for a week you would have a bad tummy and be sick of the site of them! It’s good to include ‘super foods’ in to your diet but variety is just as important.

Including an extra portion of vegetables into every dish you make is a great way to make small changes. Last night I made Thai curry and out of interest I counted how many portions of vegetables I put into it. There were 8 different types of vegetables included and each one was the size of one portion of vegetables. This meal fed 3 people giving them nearly 3 portions of the recommended daily intake of vegetables in one meal.

Exercise is important to help the blood circulation, stimulate the lymphatic system and remove toxins from the muscles and fatty tissues. Exercise has to fit into your daily routine otherwise you will always be putting it off. You don’t have to spend hours on a treadmill or do hundreds of sit ups, little and often works well too. Rather than spending hundreds of pounds on a gym membership that you never use why not take some time this January to explore what you like to do and find time to fit it in. Can you park further away from work and then take the stairs instead of the lift? How about going for a walk at lunchtime. The exercise will not only improve your circulation but the fresh air will also help to clear your head making you more productive in the afternoon. Personally I love yoga I’ve found that not only has it improved my health and fitness but it has helped to calm me down and reduce my stress levels. I started doing 10 minutes every morning and really noticed the difference, now that I’m a yoga teacher I do longer sessions every morning and I do find that one of the best things to do is to build in breathing and stretches into my day.

If you would like to find out more about how to support your body throughout the year then do get in touch, I run regular workshops, retreats and yoga classes as well as tailor made 1:1 nutrition consultations.

Contact me by emailing jenny@active-eat.co.uk or call 07738 160 575

Snack

Christmas Oat Cookies

These cookies are really quick and easy to make and use ingredients that you will probably have in your cupboard, except maybe the dried apple rings and buckwheat. Both of these can be bought from most supermarkets or you could leave them out the apple rings and grind up 50g oats instead of the buckwheat.

Ingredients:

Makes 12 (depending on size)

200g oats
50g buckwheat – ground
5 dried apple rings
20g dried cranberries or sultanas
3 tbsp honey
100ml almond milk (or milk of choice)
6 tbsp coconut oil
1 egg
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of all spice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C
or Gas mark 4
Grind the buckwheat into flour – I use a coffee grinder
Melt the coconut oil in a small pan
Chop the dried apple rings into small pieces
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl
Line 2 baking trays with grease proof paper
Roll the mixture into 12 balls, place them on the baking trays and flatten them out using your fingers, I like them a bit thicker so that they are soft inside, however you can make them thinner and crispier if you prefer.
Bake for 15 mins
Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack, store in an airtight container

Drink

Turmeric and Honey Remedy

It’s that time of year when there are lots of colds around and a niggling cough can keep you awake at night. Honey and turmeric are one of the best natural remedies, and their combination possesses anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anticancer properties, check out this remedy to help ease your symptoms.

Ingredients:

5tbsp honey
1 tbsp turmeric
2 tbsp natural apple cider vinegar
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
A pinch of black pepper

Method:

Mix the turmeric, apple cider vinegar and black pepper together in a bowl
Add lemon rind & honey and stir well until mixture is combined
Place the mixture in a glass jar and keep in the refrigerator

Use:

Place the mixture in your mouth and wait for it to completely melt. After swallowing wait for a few minutes before eating or drinking anything. Take the following doses:

If you have a cold or an infection take ½ a tsp every hour for the first 2 days, then ½ tsp every 2 hours for the next 2 days and finally ½ a tsp 3 times a day until the infection has gone. Alternatively in the infection or cold is ongoing repeat all of the steps again
For a general immune boost take one tablespoon full daily.

Lunch

Polenta Bread Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free

This week I’m in Norway staying with a lovely yoga teacher called Vild from Allmenningen Yoga. Last night we made polenta bread and served it with a homemade ratatouille. Polenta bread isn’t the texture or taste of normal bread so you wouldn’t have it with jam but it is great with soup or main meals.

Polenta dates back to the 1700s in Italy where it was a staple food which was very cheap. Polenta is made from corn which means it is a low carbohydrate food rich in Vitamins A and C, it is a good source of caroteinoids, lutein and zeaxanthin. Therefore it can help to prevent cancer and heart disease. Polenta is gluten-free.

Ingredients:

300g polenta
 Polenta Bread
1 litre vegetable stock
5 sundried tomatoes
10 black olives
½ tsp milled black pepper (to taste)
½ tsp chilli flakes (to taste)

Method:

Pre heat the oven to 180C/gas 4
Place the polenta in a large bowl and add the hot stock, black pepper and chilli flakes, stir well and leave for 5 minutes
Chop up the sundried tomatoes and cut the olives in half
Add the olives and sundried tomatoes to the polenta, stir well
Pour the polenta into a lined cake tin and ensure it is evenly spread out
Bake in the oven for approximately 45 minutes, until a crust has formed on the top
Remove from the oven and it can be eaten straight away or left to cool. The polenta will become hard once it cools