Love and Food

EATING WELL MEANS LOVING WELL: FOUR FOODS THAT INSPIRE A BETTER LOVE LIFE

Sure, there was a weird “is the world going to end” moment that had libidos soaring through the roof. But, when our bodies are stressed and fatigued, getting turned on may be last on your bodies to-do-list. Here’s what to add to your shopping list to boost your libido when you need it.

At the risk of starting on a dramatic note, we’re talking about two incredibly important things: food and sex. Two massive pillars of humanity surviving and getting this far, obviously. More than being essential to our existence, they appear again as being two huge pillars in how we experience pleasure and expression.

It isn’t surprising then, that the two would have such a great effect on one another. 

Love and Food

Eat well to love well

We hate to break it to you – but aphrodisiacs aren’t all oysters and rhino horn. Eating for better sex doesn’t need to look so different from eating for health. A good rule of thumb? If it’s good for your heart and the way that oxygen moves through your body, it’s going to improve the way sex feels for you and your partner.  

The foods we’re going to touch on are naturally good for you because of the energy that they provide, the way they let blood move around your body and the hormones they release to get those good feelings going. So what’s on the menu? 

  1. Clams and Oysters (B12)

I know we said it wasn’t all about the fancy food, but clams and oysters are a fun delicacy to incorporate into your diet for special occasions. One serving of clams has enough B12 to kickstart your evening and for good reason: B12 deficiency is one of the leading reasons behind erectile dysfunction. Clams are packed with an amino acid called L-arginine. L-arginine, once in the body, converts to nitric oxide which then increases blood flow around the body and to the places where blood flow is needed during sex; your nerve endings, genitalia and erogenous zones. 

  1. Fatty Fish (Omega 3)

Incorporating some fatty fish like fresh salmon into your dinner menu or breakfast bagel is going to get your system prepped with all the energy you need to have good, zesty sex. Fish is a great source for the macro-nutrient, Omega 3 which combats fatigue like you wouldn’t believe. Do your body a favour. 

 

For a great morning libido boost, why not try your hand at our smoked salmon scrambled eggs? 

  1. Spinach & other leafy greens (Magnesium)

The thing about eating for better sex is that you’re going to want to be eating things that really benefit the way that your body functions. Cue: leafy greens. Incorporating iron-rich foods like spinach, broccoli,  are going to do wonders for your body because of how magnesium dense the plants are.  Magnesium boosts blood flow, helping sex to feel better and last longer. 

  1. Asparagus (Histamine) 

Enhancing your climax is one of the reasons people turn to asparagus when they want a sex-improving diet. This veggie contains histamine which helps to promote more intense orgasms amidst a whole resume of benefits for health and wellbeing in your everyday life.

Fun fact: in 19th century France, three courses of this phallic vegetable were served to newlyweds to promote a sense of longing for one another. How considerate.

Skip the Valentines Day quick-fix

The day comes with the pressure to perform and before you know it you’ve loaded your cart with sparkling wines you can’t pronounce, lubricants you’re scared to use (what ingredient causes a fire sensation on purpose?) and more milk chocolate than you know what to do with.

There absolutely is a time and place for quick-fix sexy foods. These are foods that feel sensual to eat (you know the ones we mean: juicy fruits and velvety sauces). It’s when you lose yourself in how crazy good that tastes and the happiness hormones do the rest for you: we love those moments and we hope you have plenty of them! What if, though, you could have that fire in your belly beyond the month of February? 

Top tip: sugar (in chocolate and alcohol) before sex is only going to make you exhausted before you even begin. Skip the cortisol spikes and wait for the natural endorphins to kick in. 

What this should drive home is how sex and food don’t need to be a one-weekend quick fix to getting intimate with your partner. When you look after your body, the rest looks after itself. 

If you haven’t already succumbed to the Valentines rush or your purchases have left you wanting, maybe we could interest you in a more sustainable approach to making sure you’re up for it even when you don’t have time to prep the champaign and chocolate. We believe that better habits make for a well-rounded life, and we like to help people get there. Pop onto our socials or click here to read more about what we do and how to get started! 

February 9, 2021 Eat Well Comments Off on EATING WELL MEANS LOVING WELL: FOUR FOODS THAT INSPIRE A BETTER LOVE LIFE
SETTING BOUNDARIES

DRAWING THE LINE: SETTING BOUNDARIES AT WORK FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

With burnout on the rise and boundaries becoming more blurred by the week, it’s time for a re-evaluation. Sure, hard work has always been something to be admired but at the end of the tired, overthinking mess of a day, what are we really glorifying here, openly speaking?
Technology has flipped the switch on work-life balance, giving colleagues constant access to you and tempting you to be always available. We don’t need physical offices to get our jobs done anymore, so the excuses for not being able to get something done in record time seem to wither. Imagine though, if excuses weren’t necessary and a certain, polite, “no, I don’t have time for that”, would suffice?

Have you ever been in a work environment where you’ve had to do the ‘appropriate leaving time’ walk of shame to your car? Or perhaps you’ve felt a surge of anxiety turning off the active status on your remote digital communication platform long after the sun has gone down. The grind. The hustle. The boss babe (is there a reason “boss” doesn’t work just as well?). We live in a whirlwind of buzzwords that remind us that success means zero downtime, toxic productivity and ultimately, a personal life so overrun by work that health, family and joy start to fall by the wayside.

Without sounding alarmist, something needs to change. Collectively, there needs to be an unpacking of how it came to be acceptable for our mental health to be compromised by what we do for a living.

Boundaries, who needs them?

You. You do. And so does everybody else.

Taking your mental health seriously is the first on the agenda. To a fair few people, mental health still seems like this figment of our imagination and we do wonder sometimes, does it really deserve the attention you need/want to give it?

It absolutely does. You’ll see that when you take your mental health seriously, you’ll know where boundaries fit in and why they are so valuable.

Setting, implementing and upholding your boundaries
Boundaries are established after you’ve done some deep digging on what you will and won’t allow from the people around you. You need them in all spheres of your life to maintain your limits. Boundaries could be letting your mother know she can’t Facetime you at her whim twice a day or that you won’t tolerate possessive behaviour from your partner.

When we speak about work boundaries, in particular, we are speaking about the prepared, quick-defence (but not defensive) systems you have in place for situations that bring on pushing past what you are willing to do for your work.

work

 

Firstly, figure it out

You can’t implement what you don’t know and you certainly can’t expect anybody to read your mind about what boundaries you have in place. Know what you value and where your time needs to be spent and where. If you value family and health and pottery, you’ll know that your boundaries need to protect these parts of your life.

Find out where you are being stretched thin and where your work is leaking into valuable time. Pinpoint what elements of your work-life that trigger anxiety or anger and have a solid understanding of what needs to change.

Say what you mean and mean what you say

Once you’ve figured out what your boundaries are, they need to be communicated. This doesn’t mean mumbling to your colleagues about your boss during your lunch break (which was cut short by a meeting that went on for too long). It means respectfully letting your work peers know what a) you’re comfortable with, b) why these boundaries are important and c) what the outcome of broken boundaries will be. Damn.

If workplace dynamics interest you, check out our thoughts on how to bring wellness into the workplace: 5 easy, effective ways to boost productivity & employee happiness

What can work boundaries sound like?

In case you need some inspiration on how to say what you need to say (with conviction) here’s how stating your boundaries may sound:

“Yes, I also think being on top of work emails is important and they will always be answered by 10 am Monday. On the weekends, however, I prioritise unplugging and won’t be available.”

“This is not something I want to talk about at work, if we could avoid bringing it up again I would appreciate it.”

“I have a hard stop on meetings that run over 5:30 on Wednesdays and Fridays, so if we could start with the essentials that would be great.”

Emotional responses vs steadfast explanations

Saying those sentences out loud might sound abrupt at first if you are somebody who has been conditioned to people please or in the case of many minorities in the workplace, pressured to be polite and amiable. Boundaries are not rude or catty or self-righteous, they are healthy and logical limits to protect yourself. Abruptness is not a bad thing, it just means that we have taken time to evaluate and cement where our values and comfort zones are – so we don’t need to waste 1000 words explaining ourselves. When we become emotional stating our boundaries we risk being defensive or overexplaining something that needs little explanation.

Somebody is going to push a boundary, expect that to happen. When it does, you will have unpacked and prepared for how to deal with that situation and you’re going to feel better for it. Mastering your emotional awareness and sense of clarity is something you can build into your daily routine (we unpack that in our blog here).

Boundaries are Self-Care

We’re going to be talking a lot about self-love for the next few weeks and best believe mental health is high up on the agenda.

This February, let’s dig a little deeper than sugar and synthetic teddies for Valentines Day. Let’s look into real self-love that lets you think well and work well. For each time you say “no” to something that doesn’t align with your values, you learn to trust yourself a little more. Living your life in line with what makes you happy and letting go of expectations and worries about the behaviour of people is one heck of a way to love yourself. Join in on the love and come check out our Instagram page to keep up to date with our conversations about life, love, wellness and food (heck yes).

February 5, 2021 Work Well Comments Off on DRAWING THE LINE: SETTING BOUNDARIES AT WORK FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
Run Run

HOW TO BREAK THROUGH MENTAL BARRIERS WHILE RUNNING

Written by Oliver Brinsford – WellBe&Co Trainer & Sports Psychologist

Mental barriers in sport or other recreational sport events are something that many people experience and struggle with. A big factor for many individuals is the feelings of performance anxiety before taking part in an event – that overthinking, mental negative self talk we so often find ourselves succumbing too – can be completely crippling and can result in a bad performance if left unchecked. However there are a few simple  coping techniques that can be used to your advantage.

But first things first.

What is Performance Anxiety?

Performance anxiety manifests and stems from various stressors for that particular individual in that particular scenario. For example, in the case of a running event, someone might have thoughts of not finishing the race. This then can quickly spiral and feed other more ingrained and personal fears like the fear of letting yourself and potentially other people down in the process.

Others may have worries about not feeling their best during an event, not beating a previous best time or setting too high targets for oneself. All these stressors can add up and become extremely overwhelming prior to performance, so much so that your on-the-day performance actually becomes hindered. 

4 Simple ways to help you overcome these mental barriers

  1. Switch from negative to positive self-talk

Negative thoughts won’t get you anywhere, and certainly won’t get you anywhere faster. Worrying about what might happen is mentally and emotionally taxing and doesn’t serve your end goal – which is to run the best race you can on the day. 

Instead of flooding your mind with negative thinking like: “What if I burnout halfway”, “Everyone else is fitter than I am” or “I should just give up now”, rather put a positive and constructive spin on your thoughts like, “I’m ready for this challenge”, “I’ve trained hard for this race’” and “I’ve got this”.

  1. Use visualization before a race

Visualization is a very powerful tool that is used by many athletes all over the world. It works by helping you focus your mind on all the positive aspects of the race. For example,you may picture yourself crossing the finish line or even something simple like the feeling of the road on your shoes or the sound of your breathing. Visualization is all based around your senses – hearing, touch, sight, smell and taste – and using them to rehearse your specific sport or race before partaking.

Try it right now! 

Close your eyes and picture yourself running your favorite outdoor route. Imagine the sound of your feet as they hit the ground; the feeling of the sun as it warms your skin, the distinct scent of earth and fresh air, and the cooling sensation of a big gulp of water at the halfway point.

1. Incorporate a pre-performance routine

Having a pre-performance routine helps use systematic series of mental and physical cues to help you get focused on the task or event at hand. For running this could include:

  • Having a standard pre-run breakfast meal
  • Taking a few minutes to be quiet and visualize the run ahead or practice some mindful breathing
  • Doing a dynamic warm-up routine

These pre-performance routines and habits can be key in helping you feel mentally calm and physically primed for any run or race.

  1. Stay focused with specific self-instructions

Anxiety as mentioned is very unhelpful when it comes to performance as it makes us focus on what might go wrong rather than what we actually have to do (the challenge ahead). A useful tool to help counteract this is to ask yourself: “what is it that I actually have to do right now?”. Giving yourself specific and actionable commands aids in hindering any unwanted anxiety-provoking interpretations of the situation. 

For instance, next time during a race try using actionable commands like: “deep breaths”, “don’t forget to use your arms”, “relax your shoulders“ and “we are halfway there, so let’s pick up the pace slightly”. These small cues help to avoid the trap of confusing the facts of the situation and keeps you focused on the task ahead.

It doesn’t need to be an uphill battle

Incorporating these expert mental tips and tools will not only help you improve your running, but also free up more mental space so you can actually enjoy the running experience the way you should.

A word from RunMalibu

This blog was written by Oliver Brinsford, a WellBe&Co trainer and sports psychologist, in collaboration with RunMalibu. WellBe&Co is a personal and corporate wellness company specializing in easy-to-implement, lifestyle-focused nutrition, training and health solutions.

January 26, 2021 Eat Well Comments Off on HOW TO BREAK THROUGH MENTAL BARRIERS WHILE RUNNING
New Goals

6 TIPS FOR SETTING REALISTIC GOALS IN THE NEW YEAR

Setting goals and forming sustainable habits 

When it comes to making promises for the New Year, we are all in the habit of letting ourselves down and breaking those resolutions just a few weeks into the year. So, how can you go about setting realistic goals and forming sustainable habits that will bring about real, lasting change in the new year? 

When it comes to developing new goals for the future, it helps to work toward them with a more gradual approach rather than expecting to change immediately. So, here are some tips on how to set attainable, realistic goals for the new year using strategies that really work. 

1. Write your goals down and review your progress 

Simply writing your goals down and sticking them up somewhere visible in your home is already a big step towards helping you view your New Year’s resolutions as more permanent objectives.

In the same way, journaling about your progress can help you keep your goals in mind and track your achievements so that you have something concrete to refer to during times that you find yourself straying from your resolution or losing sight of your goals. 

It’s important to regularly acknowledge the progress you’ve made and the small achievements you accomplish every week. Keeping a diary is also a great way to note any areas that you’re currently struggling or any habits that you’re having trouble with breaking.

2. Allow yourself some flexibility 

Setting goals is a great way to work towards achieving a set objective (such as losing weight, getting a promotion or improving at a sport) but, if you find a resolution too difficult to stick to, it’s always much better to re-evaluate and rework your long-term goals instead of completely dropping your New Year’s resolution when it starts to seem too challenging. The key is to focus on setting more fluid objectives rather than rigid, inflexible goals. 

When it comes to developing long-term, sustainable goals, don’t be afraid to adjust the goal to a lower intensity in the beginning and continue working towards the same end result over time.

3. Avoid quitting habits ‘cold-turkey’

Quitting habits ‘cold turkey’ will often result in a higher degree of failure, and the effect of this sudden change to your routine can actually be counteractive.

For example, declaring yourself completely junk-food free or totally plant-based in the new year is a great objective to work towards, but a very difficult change to make off-the-bat.

Instead of making your goal to eat less unhealthy food, why not focus on trying to eat more healthy food at the start. You may feel more deprived if you think of taking something away. But choosing to add good, balanced and hearty foods to your diet is a great way to slowly replace those unhealthy foods and work towards the same end goal. 

4. Set goals that are realistic and attainable

While it is always important to dream big, it’s essential that you consider whether the goal you’re setting is really applicable to you and your current lifestyle. Time restraints, lack of experience or financial restraints could be working against you, and you run the risk of losing motivation and setting yourself up to fail when you don’t take these considerations into account.

When setting goals, the most effective strategy is to plan your steps towards achieving these goals wisely and establishing a realistic time frame, process and action plan.

5. Be smart about how you achieve your goals

Sticking to a new workout routine or eating plan can be difficult, and when you are working towards a challenging goal, things are bound to get a little tough. Having someone at your side to motivate and encourage you along the way will help to make the process a little easier, and it’s the perfect way to keep one another accountable. Remember to seek advice from your partner and ask them about their own struggles or accomplishments that they have experienced along the way.

Try to design goals that can be accomplished with a partner. Surrounding yourself with constant encouragement from someone else who is following your progress and working towards the same end goal will get you one step closer to maintaining motivation and achieving your objectives. 

6. Reward yourself for small achievements

Remember that change doesn’t come overnight and rewarding yourself for achieving small milestones can be a great way to keep your motivation levels high and renew your inspiration as you continue to work towards real, permanent change in your life. 

This could be something as simple as taking yourself out to breakfast at the end of the week, setting aside time to read a book you enjoy for 30 minutes, making a delicious, gourmet dessert or even just enjoying an at-home spa day.

Giving yourself small rewards along the way will help you to better enjoy the journey towards building sustainable, long-lasting habits. The idea is not to punish yourself for failing to attain your goal but to reward yourself for the small steps and signs of progress you’re able to make.

New Goals

Reboot the New Year with WellBe 

Here at WellBe we want to give you the right tools to strengthen your mind and your body. That’s why we’ve developed our two new 12 week nutrition and training guides to help you live every day with a clear intention to get closer to achieving your goals and living a more happy, motivated life.

Our easy-to-implement, lifestyle-focussed nutrition, training and health solutions are fun, simple and the perfect way to improve your focus and renew your motivation for the year ahead with a variety of healthy, balanced meal plans and killer workout routines.

Want to learn more? Check out our Instagram page or contact one of our friendly WellBe team members for more information today.

January 12, 2021 Eat Well Comments Off on 6 TIPS FOR SETTING REALISTIC GOALS IN THE NEW YEAR
Food

MOROCCAN VEG & APRICOT TAGINE

DIFFICULTY: EASY

Time: 30 mins prep + 45 mins cook

Serves: 2

A plant-based meal option perfect for vegan’s and meat-eaters alike.

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp oil
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 2 tsp garlic, crushed
  • 250 g butternut chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes
  • 250 ml vegetable stock
  • 1/2 tsp each cinnamon & cumin
  • 1 tsp each turmeric & paprika
  • Pomegranate seeds and chopped coriander to serve

Quinoa: 140 g quinoa + 40 g dried apricots, chopped + 10 g flaked almonds

Dressing: 2 Tbsp tahini + 3 Tbsp milk + splash of lemon juice and honey, whisked together

Food

Method

Heat oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion over medium heat for +/- 3 mins. Add the garlic and butternut and cook for a further 7 mins. Add the remaining vegetables and cook for a further 3 mins before adding the chickpeas, tomatoes, stock and spices. Season to taste. Simmer for 30 mins uncovered. Meanwhile bring 400 ml water to simmer in a small saucepan, add quinoa and cook for 20 mins. When cooked stir in apricots, almonds and a pinch of salt. Serve with pomegranate seeds, coriander and a drizzle of the tahini dressing.

 

DOWNLOAD YOUR MOROCCAN VEG & APRICOT TAGINE RECIPE HERE 

December 15, 2020 Lunch, Recipes Comments Off on MOROCCAN VEG & APRICOT TAGINE
PESTO CHICKEN & ROAST VEG SALAD

PESTO CHICKEN & ROAST VEG SALAD

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 30 mins

Serves: 1

Feel free to use leftover and already cooked roast vegetables from your fridge.

Ingredients

  • 80-120 g chicken, cooked (1-2 chicken breasts)
  • 1-2 cups roast vegetables, cooked e.g. zucchini, butternut, pumpkin, red onion, bell peppers, mushroom, asparagus etc.
  • 2 Tbsp oil for cooking
  • 8-10 small cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 handful baby spinach leaves
  • 1 Tbsp pesto
  • 1 Tbsp crumbled feta* (omit for Paleo)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

PESTO CHICKEN & ROAST VEG SALAD

Method

Roast vegetables with 1 Tbsp oil until done to your liking. Heat a pan with the remaining oil and cook the chicken until done. Season to taste. Chop the cooked chicken into chunks and toss together with the roast vegetables, tomatoes, baby spinach leaves and pesto. Crumble over the feta (if using) and serve.

*Omit feta for Paleo.

DOWNLOAD YOUR PESTO CHICKEN & ROAST VEG SALAD RECIPE HERE 

December 15, 2020 Lunch, Recipes Comments Off on PESTO CHICKEN & ROAST VEG SALAD

HOW TO PRACTISE MINDFUL AND INTUITIVE EATING DURING THE HOLIDAYS

While the holidays are usually a time for joy and cheer, for some of us they can be a time of heightened stress and anxiety as we face unhealthy temptations during holiday meals.

That’s why, in this week’s blog, we want to share our top tips for recognizing and coping with the food-related anxiety during the holidays. It’s time to ditch that food guilt and have a wholesome, happy Christmas without letting diet-obsessions get in the way! 

What is mindful eating? 

Mindful and intuitive eating is about developing an awareness of your relationship with food. This approach has nothing to do with diets, meal plans, discipline or willpower. Instead, it is about developing a more conscious, healthier and balanced response to food, and teaching yourself how to get in touch with your body’s cues like hunger, fullness and satisfaction.

Tips for mindful eating during the holidays 

The holidays can feel like a minefield for many of us, with large family meals presenting many delicious temptations. Food equals comfort and togetherness for many families but research shows that one-third of holiday stress is due to fears of overindulgence and food-based anxiety.

So, for those struggling with stress and guilt about food this festive season, here are some tips for enjoying holiday gatherings without derailing your health and wellness goals.

Christmas

1.Eat more healthy, hearty foods

The fear and guilt associated with breaking a restrictive diet or eating foods we’d normally avoid during the year can prevent many of us from really enjoying a meal with our family. The key to coping with food anxiety during the holidays is to reject this diet mentality and encourage yourself to focus on healthy, balanced eating rather than restricting yourself during this time. 

Remember, it’s okay to enjoy a mince pie and some delicious Christmas pudding, but it’s equally important to stack your plate full of veggies and greens. 

Eating plenty of whole fruits, vegetables, and grains along with Christmas treats can help curb cravings and prevent you from overeating. These “high volume foods”  also tend to leave you with an increased feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction after a meal. 

2. Savour what you’re eating 

While it may be tempting to wolf down three servings of turkey in one sitting, it’s important to take a moment and really appreciate what is on your plate. Try to employ all your senses while you’re eating your food, and eat slowly to really take-in the flavour. Eating slowly increases the levels of hormones responsible for feeling full, which may help reduce calorie intake and encourage you to eat more mindfully and intuitively. Chewing slowly can also encourage better digestion and leave you feeling more satisfied after a meal.

3. Don’t channel your stress into eating

Even under normal circumstances, tensions can run high at holiday gatherings – and that was before a global pandemic was thrown into the mix.

It’s important not to channel the stress from this kind of large family gathering into eating. While it may be tempting to take this as an opportunity to self-sabotage and rely on emotional eating to cope with your feelings, try to develop healthier ways to deal with emotional triggers during this time instead. 

For example, try to incorporate more exercise and activity in your daily routine in the days leading up to this Christmas period. And, if you start to feel overwhelmed during a family gathering, practice stepping away, finding a quiet place and doing some deep breathing or even a short 5-minute meditation session. 

4. Listen to your fullness cues

People tend to panic if they move away from a more restrictive diet and stop calorie-counting. While breaking a diet or strict eating plan can be a source of anxiety for many people, the holidays are a time to say goodbye to this guilt and start listening to your body instead. 

Your focus should always be to listen to our body’s hunger and fullness cues – with the goal of eating until you’re comfortable, full and satisfied in mind. A good idea is to try and focus on the difference between true hunger cues that encourage you to continue eating and non-hunger triggers for eating (such as tase, emotional stress or habitual eating) which could cause you to over-eat even when you’re already feeling full.

This is the perfect example of mindful eating. Instead of overindulging, try to observe how the food makes you feel and the signals your body sends about taste, satisfaction, and fullness. 

5. Bring something of your own to share.

The fear and guilt associated with unhealthy eating can prevent many of us from really enjoying a meal with our family. So, why not bring along some of your own healthy but delicious treats like these chicken and bulgar wheat salad or these delicious raw chocolate brownies instead.

This is a great way to have better control over your food choices at this kind of social event, and you can guarantee that there will always be something on the table that works for you.

Enjoy the holidays with WellBe

Here at WellBe&Co, we believe in easy-to-implement, lifestyle-focussed health and wellness habits. The key to living a healthy, balanced life starts with good nutrition – which is why we want to share all our top nutritious and delicious recipes with you this holiday season.

Why not try some of these tasty recipes this Christmas day and enjoy some healthy, hearty food while still indulging in a treat or two. And, if the stress of the holidays is getting to be a bit too much to handle, check out our simple guide to mastering mediation and developing better emotional awareness during this time.

Want to learn more? Check out our Instagram page or contact one of our friendly WellBe team members for more information today.

December 14, 2020 Eat Well Comments Off on HOW TO PRACTISE MINDFUL AND INTUITIVE EATING DURING THE HOLIDAYS
Christmas pudding

SIMPLE FESTIVE PUDDING

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 90 minutes

Serves: 12

Free from refined sugars, this healthy and quick Christmas pudding is packed with all the flavours and smells of Christmas and it only takes a few hours to make!

Ingredients

  • 1½ whole, sweet oranges roughly chopped with the skin
  • 300g medjool pitted dates
  • 200g pitted prunes
  • ⅓ cup coconut oil
  • 1¼ cups water
  • 1½ cups dried currants
  • 200g organic dried apricots, finely chopped
  • 100g pitted prunes, roughly chopped
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 350g almond flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp clove
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp salt

Method

Preheat oven to 190C. Grease a medium sized pudding bowl. Combine dates, prunes, orange and water into a saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer for 10mins or until the water has evaporated and the dates have formed a thick paste. Stir through the coconut oil and set aside to cool. Place the cooled date mix into a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and add apricots and prunes, currants, almond flour, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and the eggs. Mix well. Pour the mixture into your prepared pudding bowl. Place the pudding bowl into a deep baking tray, then pour in hot water until it reaches ½ to ¾ of the way up the roasting tray.

Cover the tray and pudding with a layer of baking paper and foil. Make sure it is completely sealed so no steam can escape. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Carefully remove from oven. Serve with coconut cream.

DOWNLOAD YOUR SIMPLE FESTIVE PUDDING RECIPE HERE

December 7, 2020 Dessert, Recipes Comments Off on SIMPLE FESTIVE PUDDING

Healthy Potato Bake

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 60 minutes

Serves: 6

This tasty side dish is lower in fat, healthier than your average potato bake and still incredibly delicious!

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp Garlic crushed
  • 700 grams Potatoes washed, thinly sliced
  • 1 Brown Onion sliced into thin rings
  • 1/3 cup Wholewheat Breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp Parmesan Cheese
  • 185 ml Evaporated Milk

Method

reheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease a shallow baking dish with olive oil. In a jug, combine the evaporated milk and crushed garlic and stir well. Layer the bottom of the dish with a single layer of the thinly sliced potato. Top it with a third of the onion rings. Repeat until all the potato and onion is used up.

Carefully pour over the milk and garlic mix and top with the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Bake for 50 minutes or until the potato is cooked and it is golden and bubbling. Serve and enjoy!

Download Your Healthy Potato Bake Recipe Here

December 7, 2020 Lunch, Recipes Comments Off on Healthy Potato Bake
herb-roasted turkey

Herb-Roasted Turkey

Difficulty: Medium

Time: 3 hrs 30 mins

Serves: 12

Packed with flavour, this oven-roasted turkey recipe is healthy and is sure to impress your festive party!

Ingredients

  • 4.5 – 5kg turkey
  • ¼ cup fresh herbs, plus 20 whole sprigs, such as thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano divided
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Onion, apple, lemon and/or orange, cut into wedges ( to make 1 1/2 cups)
  • 3 cups water, plus more as needed

Method

Preheat your oven to 220C. Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavities. Place the turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan; pat dry with paper towels. Mix minced herbs, oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture all over the turkey, under the skin and onto the breast meat. Place onion, apple and oranges pieces and half of the herb sprigs in the cavity. Tuck the wing tips under the turkey. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Add 3 cups water and the remaining 10 herb sprigs to the pan. Roast the turkey until the skin is golden brown, 45 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Cover the breast with a double layer of foil, cutting as necessary to conform to the breast. Reduce oven temperature to 180C and continue roasting for about 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours more – the juices will run clear when cooked. If the pan dries out, tilt the turkey to let juices run out of the cavity into the pan and add 1 cup water. Transfer the turkey to a serving platter and cover with foil. Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes. Remove string and carve.

 

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December 7, 2020 Lunch, Recipes Comments Off on Herb-Roasted Turkey