Smoothies!

There are so many different smoothies that you can make, the possibilities are endless! I find that these are perfect for those days where you haven't got long enough to make something, and they're really good at waking you up and refreshing your body.

When I hear the word smoothie I think of fruit and milk, but there are smoothies you can make that contain vegetables too (although I haven't warmed to them quiet yet). As I'm dairy free, I once tried making a banana smoothie without any milk. It was way too think to drink it wouldn't even pour out of the glass! Then I came across these products: lactose free milk and coconut water. They work a treat and the taste is just as great.

Here are a few smoothie combinations I've came up with:
> Banana, blueberry, cinnamon and lactose free milk.
> Strawberry, raspberry and red current.
> Banana, strawberry, dedicated coconut, mango, cinnamon and lactose free milk (see picture).
> Spinage, avocado, cucumber, banana, mint leaves, ground flaxseed and coconut water.

There's loads more smoothie combinations,  and you might be wondering why I haven't put the amounts of each ingredient you need to make them; the thing is you can put as much or less in as you like, there are no rules! But if your using banana I'd suggest blending it up with some milk or coconut water to thin it out a little.
Spices and herbs are great natural sources of flavour, and complete any meal nicely when mixed in; for example, you would always put mint and lamb together. So try using them as much as possible as they are also very good for you! You can use cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg,  anything.

So have a go and if it's a hot day you can always pop in a few ice cubes!

Please tell me what you think and feel free to share any smoothie recipes that you come up with in the comments below! Have a nice day! :)

Scrumptious Snacks!

In the paleo diet there is no 

wheat, gluten, sugar or dairy (you can have dairy if you want too but I choose not to) which means a lot of the things that we eat in our everyday western diet gets chucked out the window. Bread, cereals, cake, biscuits, croissants, pasta, pastries,  and even some not so obvious products like sauces and spreads.

But that also means that I don't get any treats, right? That's what I thought until I began to research recipes online and came across a website called Bravo for Paleo. It is run by 20 year old pre-med student Monica Bravo from the US, and she posts all things paleo and has stacks of healthy recipes! I found these blueberry muffins and tried them out and they are officially one of my favorite snacks. 

I adjusted the recipe a little by swapping the maple syrup for raw honey, and I also experimented with 90% dark chocolate. You can add anything you like to the muffins (as long as it's healthy of course! ) such as blackberries, banana, nuts and seeds, and you could even serve it with a little double cream if you fancy making a dessert out of them. 

Please let me now what you think of them and also check out the Bravo for Paleo website and check out all the other tasty recipes!

Here's the link to the recipe:

http://bravoforpaleo.com/2013/08/29/paleo-blueberry-muffin-recipe/

Breakfast Time!

Good morning everyone, it's not the sunniest start to the day and a little cold so I thought of making myself a breakfast that is hot and delicious, but if course paleo!

I made a little stack of banana pancakes, sandwiched with cashew nut butter and topped with strawberries. I loved these so much and they were perfect for fueling me for my college day. It's great because although you might think you're eating something that looks unhealthy, it's actually perfectly healthy and super delicious to eat!

The Recipe:
Half a banana
1 medium egg
Cinnamon
Topping:
Cashew nut butter
Strawberries

1. Blitz the banana and egg together into a liquid, and add a good shake of cinnamon and blend again.
2. Melt some butter in a pan and pour a little mixture into the pan. Don't try to flip it over if the underside isn't cooked! When it's fried for around 30 seconds or browned underneath, flip it over and brown off the other side.
3. Put it on a plate and smoother with cashew nut butter. Repeat step 2 and layer each pancake between the cashew nut butter. Spread some on top and top with strawberries. Bon appetite!

And that's it! It's so simple you could make them with your eyes closed - although that wouldn't be such a good idea if you want to avoid burnt pancakes ;) You can do lots of different types of pancakes and experiment with many healthy and yummy ingtedients. You could try melting some raw honey and pouring it over the stack, over even top them with blueberries and pour over some double cream. Cream tastes amazing with them but as I've had to ditch dairy due to it causing my face to come out with breakouts, I have to find other ways of creating these pancakes scrumptious.

So, breakfast is over, I'm nicely full and am ready to start my day.
If you want to try them please comment and tell me how it goes, have a great day! X