Top 10 Nutrient Packed Smoothie Juices!

I couldn't help it, I have become one of those Juice and Smoothie addicts!  They just taste so good and have given me so much energy and nutrients which lets face it have been very low prior to the start of Winter. Having a juice or smoothie each day has helped me feeling fitter to exercise, less tired and healthier through and through. A good balance of fruit and vegetables definitely provides a good balance when eating in moderation and assists with getting the right amount of vegetables into the system each day.

I also have a slight iron deficiency so I have always been advised to eat lots of iron nutrient vegetables combined with vitamin c... apparently one needs the other to work in the system.  For that reason you will notice lots ingredients such as spinach, kale and beetroot added with a combination of vitamin c rich fruits to most of my juices and smoothies.

I have been getting lots of positive comments on the Instagram photo's so I thought I would post my top 10 favorite juice and smoothie combo's to the blog.

Here goes...

Smoothie # 1- GreenBerry

Add...

• 1 Cup Organic Guava Juice
• 5 strawberries
• 1/2 soft pear
• 1/2 avocado
• Handful raw baby spinach leaves 
• 1 tbs chia Seeds
• 1/2 cup cold water

Smoothie # 2 - The Winter Kicker 

Add

• 1 peeled orange 
• 1/2 raw beetroot
• Handful raw baby spinach leaves
• Handful raw kale
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup apple juice

Smoothie # 3 - Breakfast Wake Up
Add...

• 1 banana 
• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• 1/2 soft pear
• Handful raw baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 apple juice
• 1 cup water

Smoothie # 4 - Rubylicious

Add...

• 1/2 banana
• 8 strawberries
• 1/2 beetroot
• 1 carrot
• Handful raw baby spinach leaves
• 1 tbs chia seeds
• 1 cup water

Smoothie # 5 - Vitamin C Booster 

Add...

• 1 orange
• 1/2 beetroot
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 pear
• 1/2 apple juice
• 1 tbs ginger

Smoothie # 6 - Quick Detox

Add...

• 1/2 beetroot
• 1 carrot
• Handful of raw spinach
• 1/2 cup mixed berries
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup water

Smoothie # 7 - Winter Kicker Part 2

Add...

• 1 celery stalk
• 1 orange
• 1 tbs ginger
• 5 strawberries
• 1/2 pear
• 1 cup water

 Smoothie # 8 - Iron Strong

Add...

• 1 cup beetroot leaves
• Handful raw spinach
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 pear
• 1 cup water

Smoothie # 9 - Greenie

Add...

• 1/2 lemon
• 3/4 cup apple juice
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 avocado
• Handful raw baby spinach
• 1 celery stalk

Smoothie # 10 - Nana Coco Loco (Dairy Free)

Add...

• 1 banana
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbs raw cocoa 
• 1 tbs chia seeds
• 1 tbl dried coconut (desiccated or flakes)
• 1/4 cup almonds 
• 1 tbs honey
• dash of cinnamon powder

Next ill be trying a few smoothie bowls! Stay tuned....

Enjoy!

We love our Quinoa in this Sesame,Tuna & Lime Salad!

Quinoa is super grain food that is gluten free and it maintains many health properties. Quinoa has almost double the fibre of most grains and is rich in amino acids, good for digestion and the heart. We eat it almost two to three times a week and mostly add it into our lunch time salads.
Quinoa is a very versatile ingredient because you can cook it, dress it and refrigerate for the next day, making it easy for the work lunch box.

Quinoa holds approximately 220 calories per one cup that is cooked. One cup is plenty to share for two people.

The best way to cook quinoa is on the stove top. One cup of quinoa can be boiled with  two cups of cold water. Bring to boil and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Add cold water to the pot if the quinoa absorbs all the water too quickly and needs a little longer cooking time.

This salad is a so delicious and very easy to prepare. My naturopath suggested it as a great salad to eat during the winter. Its packed with iron, vitamin c, calcium, magnesium and good source of protein. 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 tin of tuna (drained) 
• 1 tbs grated ginger
• 2 spring onions sliced finely
• Juice of one lime 
• 2 tbs light soy sauce
• 3 tbs olive oil 
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds toasted
• salt & pepper to season

Method:

1. In a small non stick pan, toast the sesame seeds until browned lightly.

2. In a small bowl add the olive oil, soy sauce, grated ginger, lime juice, spring onions, salt and pepper and set aside to absorb for 5 minutes.

3. In a salad bowl add the spinach, tuna and quinoa.
4. Add the dressing to the salad and toss.

Quinoa superfood salad is now ready to eat!

Enjoy!

Sticky Pork Ball & Noodle Stir Fry

What we love about a stir fry is that the vegetables should never be overcooked, they should be slightly crunchy maintaining most of their precious nutrients. Stir fry's are simple and easy to prepare, they are not supposed to be difficult and this recipe for sticky pork balls and noodles is delicious and can be cooked in under 30 minutes.

All you need are a few fresh ingredients and ensure to use whatever vegetables you have available in your fridge. Bok Choy, sprouts, corn, broccoli are great additions to a stir fry if you have them available. I will always have carrots, mushrooms, onions and capsicums in my fridge so that is what I have added in this recipe, however feel free to use whatever vegetables you have on hand.

Pork is a meat I rarely eat unless combined with the right flavors and I have discovered with this pork ball noodle recipe that the combination of sesame seeds, spring onions and ginger work really well! Lastly, when it comes to the noodles, I prefer to use white rice noodles that just need soaking in some boiled water. However if you have access to fresh noodles you can certainly use those for this recipe too.

Sandro and I both loved it and I will certainly be making it again and sharing it with friends!

Ingredients

To make the pork balls:

• 250 grams pork mince
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 Spring Onions sliced finely
• 1 large crushed garlic clove
• 1 tbs grated ginger
• Salt & Pepper to season
• 1 tbs coconut oil

To make the stir fry dressing:

• 1/2 cup honey
• 3/4 light soy sauce
• 2 tbs sweet chilli sauce

To make the stir fry vegetables and noodles:

• capsicum sliced
• mushrooms sliced
• red onion chopped roughly
• carrot julienne slice
• baby spinach  
• rice noodles (refer to pack on how to prepare, they must be cooked when added to the stir fry)
• sesame oil
• wedge of lime to serve 

Ensure you have a non stick fry pan or wok to make this recipe.

1. Combine the pork mince, spring onions, olive oil, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

2. Roll the mixture in to small balls and set aside.
3. In your non stick pan add coconut oil and set the heat on high
4. When the pan is hot and the coconut oil has melted, set the heat to medium and start adding the balls individually.

5. After 2 minutes of cooking and the balls have browned turn them over and cook for a further 3 minutes.

6. In a seperate bowl/sauce pan, microwave/heat the honey, soy sauce and sweet chilli until mixed together evently.

7. Add the sauce to the pork balls and set the heat on high. Cook until the sauce turns sticky then transfer the entire contents of the pan in to a separate bowl and set aside.

8. In the same pan, add a splash of sesame oil to heat.

9. Commence cooking your vegetables by adding a vegetable at a time. (I always start with the onions followed by the hardest vegetable - generally the carrots, and ending with the mushrooms and spinach) Cook until onions are cooked through vegetables are all semi cooked.

10. Add your cooked noodles to the pan and stir through followed by the sticky and saucy pork balls.

Your meal is ready to serve, we served ours with a wedge of lime and the flavors where yum!

Enjoy!

Winter Warmer: Italian Minestrone

It's the first day of Winter and what better way to start it with a wholesome traditional Minestrone soup.
The great thing about making this soup is that it is so simple to prepare and you can use whatever vegetables you have available. All you need is some stock, (can be in the cube form) either a tin of tomatoes or home made passatta (I prefer the latter) and some good herbs and legumes. 

I prefer to use dried legumes and soak them in water over night to use in my Italian minestrone. However if you don't have time, the canned variety is just as good. I make my own dried legume mix which is stored in an air tight container and combines dried white beans, split peas, red and brown lentils. You can also add chickpeas, french lentils and other dried legumes if you like.

For today's minestrone recipe I had carrots, turnips, onions, capsicum, spinach and corn readily available to use. You can also add pumpkin, sweet potato, normal potato and celery. Ensure to always have onion and garlic available for this recipe, it's staple for a traditional Italian minestrone soup.

When preparing this soup, you will need a deep cooking pot and approx 2 ltrs of boiled water.

Ingredients for Italian Minestrone:

1 red onion chopped and diced
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
5 cups of diced vegetables of your choice (see above)
3 cups tomato passatta
2 liters boiled water
2 cups baby spinach
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp rosemary
2 vegetable stock cubes

How to make Italian Minestrone:

1. Preheat the olive oil in the cooking pot on medium heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook on medium heat until transparent.

3. Add the diced vegetables and stir through.

4. Add the stock cubes and break down and mix through the vegetables. Cook for 4 minutes stirring constantly.
5. Add the tomato passatta and mix through. Cook for a further 2 minutes.

6. Add the bay leaf, oregano and rosemary and mix through.
7. Top with 2 litres of boiled water and cook with the lid slightly ajar for 1 hour stirring every 10 minutes. Ensure the heat is set at medium heat.

8. When the minestrone has been cooked, switch off the heat and add the spinach. Stir through.

Soup is ready to serve!

Enjoy.

 

"Involtini di Pollo" My Chicken Involtini in a pan!

Here is a spin on a Chicken Involtini recipe that can be prepared in under 30 minutes using very few ingredients. Full of protein, this recipe is simple and gluten free. I prefer to use Massel stock cubes, fresh herbs and free range chicken when preparing this dish.

Ingredients:
4 Chicken thigh fillets
1 cup white wine
25 grams butter
2 tbsp olive 
1/2 chicken stock cube diluted in 250mls water
6 sage leaves
Toothpicks

Filling Ingredients
4 thin slices pancetta
6 mushrooms diced finely
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic crushed
Oregano
Salt & Pepper to season

How to make Chicken Involtini:

1. Lay the chicken thigh fillets on a chopping board in between two pieces of baking paper and beat with a meat hammer until chicken has flattened to approx 1.5cms thickness
2. Remove the paper and lay a slice of pancetta on the inside of the chicken
3. Chop and finely dice the mushrooms and add 1 clove of crushed garlic. Add the olive oil, oregano, salt & pepper.
4. Add the mushroom mix to one side of chicken and roll using the toothpics to pin the chicken into place.

5. In a pan add 2 tbsp to the base of the fry pan and heat.
6. When the pan is hot, reduce the heat to medium heat and place the stuffed chicken pieces on the pan and cover slightly with a lid for 2 minutes.

7. Turn the chicken over and cook on the opposite side until base of the chicken browns.
8. Separately dilute chicken stock cube in water.
9. Add the butter to the pan (allow to melt) followed by the sage and chicken stock. Slowly pour in the white wine.

10. Keep the lid off, place the heat on high and turn the chicken over.  Pan needs to sizzle and stock mixture must reduce down to a glaze. May take up to 8 minutes.

11. Once the stock mix turns into a glazed sauce. Your chicken is ready.

Serve with a side of salad, we love to serve it with the Quinoa & Kale super salad . Its all gluten free!

Enjoy!