Peanut butter overnight chia seed pudding.

Wow the name of this is a bit of a mouthful! But as you can see I'm experimenting with the chia seeds again - this time for breakfast. This is a quick and easy breakfast, it barely needs a recipe! Full of protein from the peanut butter, fibre from the chia seeds, potassium and slow release energy from the bananas - partner it with a green tea to start your day in style!

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. chia seeds

1 Tbsp. Greek yoghurt

5 Tbsp. milk of your choice (I used rice milk)

1-2 Tbsp. crunchy organic peanut butter (or to taste)

1 overripe banana, mashed

1 Tsp. honey 

Throw it all together in a bowl or Mason jar and mix thoroughly - the peanut butter will be the hardest thing to get to mix and not clump. If you're really having trouble with mixing with peanut butter put it in the microwave for 30 seconds, just to loosen up. Seal with a lid or cling film, put in the fridge for at least 2 hours or preferable overnight. Then eat up! 

Strawberry chia seed jam.

There's so much hype at the moment about health foods and super foods - like chia seeds for example, because of their abundance of healthy omega-3 fats and fibre, along with claims that it can combat diabetes and fight belly fat. If this is true then it must be the superman of superfoods! (sorry) 

Readily available in most health food shops, I decided to buy them… Then had no idea what to do with them. Just add it to smoothies? You can, but that seemed a bit boring. An overnight oat type thing? On my to-do list, but am currently licking out the last of the peanut butter (it would HAVE to include peanut butter, else it's not a real breakfast). So what?

Jam.
Strawberry jam.
So I have an excuse to make scones.

This particular jam is a melange of two recipes I found online, and only includes 3 ingredients:

• 400g strawberries (hulled)
• agave nectar (or honey, maple syrup - basically whatever you have in)
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds

1. Start by whacking the strawbs in a food processor (or you can chop them and mash them up at a later stage - I was just feeling lazy) and whizzing - it doesn't matter if it's not smooth, when you heat it up it'll disintegrate more.

2. Put in a pan and bring to a rolling boil for about 5 minutes, or until it starts to thicken. This is the fruit releasing pectin, which makes it go jam-like. 

3. Once thickened, (this is where you'd need to mash it if you didn't use a processor) add the chia seeds and cook for another 2 minutes. 

4. Pour into a sealable jar, and leave to cool. 

Simples.

Special Green Beans.

Because sometimes plain French beans just don't cut it! This would be nice as an accompaniment to a roast for a change, or you could even replace your chips with them for a healthier meal.

Recipe adapted from Simply Scratch

Ingredients:
2 packets green beans (or however many you want)
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 mugful breadcrumbs made from stale bread (3 or 4 slices would be plenty - I used the remains from gluten free loaf I'd made)
1 mugful finely grated strong white cheese (I used Cornish Gove, but Cheddar would be fine)
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Boil the green beans in salted water for 3-4 minutes, then drain and rinse in cold water to retain the bright green colour. Pat dry. 
2. Get your station ready! Mix the grated cheese and breadcrumbs together in a bowl, with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Dip the DRY green green in the egg whites, then in the breadcrumb/cheese mix. Place on a baking tray.
3. Place the green beans in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serve hot.

Lightened Up Broccoli Tart

I was asked to make something fairly healthy that my family could easily take to work/uni for lunch, so I immediately thought "broccoli". Not only is it the tastiest vegetable (not open for debate!), but it's high in iron and protein and for my gym-obsessed cousin that's just the ticket. I say this is "lightened up" as the recipe called for 250ml double cream, which I replaced with 0% fat plain yoghurt - bit of a difference!

Recipe adapted from The Great British Bake Off recipe book.

For the pastry: 

200g plain flour

100g cold unsalted butter

50g walnuts, finely ground (this adds a nice nuttiness you don't often get in a tart)

4-5 tbsp. ice cold water

For the filling:

1 head broccoli, cooked al dente in salted boiling water

250ml natural yoghurt (or substitute crème fraiche) 

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tsp each of parsley, smoked paprika and herbes de provence

150g grated cheese (I used Cornish Gove but Cheddar would work just as well) 

Instructions:

1. For the pastry, tip the flour and butter into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Rub the mixture together with your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the walnuts.

2. Add the water one tablespoon at a time until the mix comes together and looks like a dough. Knead the pastry then rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

4. Roll the pastry out between two sheets of cling film, remove the cling film and use the pastry to line a 25cm/10in tart tin.

5. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans and bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove the baking beans and greaseproof paper and bake for a further five minutes, or until pale golden-brown.

6. Whilst the pastry is baking, mix the yoghurt with the crushed garlic and herbs. 

7. Once the pastry is pale golden-brown, assemble the broccoli on the tart base, then smother on the yoghurt mix. Top with the grated cheese. 

8. Bake in the oven for around 35-40 minutes (less time if you're using a small tin) until cooked through. 

This made enough for one large and one small broccoli tart, with pastry left over, which I filled with leftovers from the fridge - chorizo, Boursin and coleslaw. 

Chicken salad bowl

I love the simplicity of this dish, but it still manages to pack in a helluva lot of flavour. Filling but light enough for a summer's eve, this will soon be a staple in our household! I hope you like it.

• Ingredients:
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into pieces 
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon sumaq (you can get this in any health food shop or online)
• 2 Tbsp. dried parsley
• 1 Tbsp. dried basil
• 1 1/2 mugs jasmine or basmati rice
• 3 mugs water
• 2 red pepper, cut into fourths
• 1 courgette, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 2 avocados, mashed very well
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
• salt + pepper, to taste
• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved

Instructions: 

1. In a large bowl combine the olive oil, garlic, onion powder, sumaq, pepper, cayenne, smoked paprika, parsley and basil. Add the chicken and toss well. Cover and place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the meal.
2. Make the rice. Add the water to a medium size pot. Bring to a low boil and then add the rice. Stir to combine and then place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook ten minutes on low and then turn the heat off completely and let the rice sit on the stove, covered for another 20 minutes (don't take any peeks inside!). After 20 minutes remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Note that rice can cook differently for everyone, this is just what works for me.
3. Add the red pepper and courgette to a gallon size ziplock bag. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Seal the bag and shake well so the veggies are coated with olive oil.
4. Grill the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, gently flipping 2-3 times until chicken is cooked through and has light char marks. While the chicken is grilling grill the courgette for about 4 minutes on each side, or until tender and the red peppers for about 5 minutes flipping once or twice during cooking.
5. Remove everything from the grill and let cool 5 minutes. Once cool slice the red peppers into strips and if you have whole chicken breast cut those into cubes.
6. Add the mashed avocados to a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
7. To assemble the bowls, divide the rice among 4 bowls or plates. Top each bowl of rice with equal amounts of chicken, grilled peppers and courgette. Add a large dollop of the avocados and then add the fresh tomatoes and walnuts. Sprinkle with blue cheese if desired. Serve warm.

My juice detox.

After my super unhealthy last few days in France (did you see the amount of cream on everything I ordered?!), I decided to undertake a juice detox. Mum bought me a juicer especially for my return back home! Obviously she's seen the pictures.. 

So a juice fast for 3 days - how hard could it be?

First off, buying the quantity of fruit and greens BEFORE I EVEN STARTED was eye opening (and expensive!). But this amount of goodness must surely do me some good, yes?

Day One: 

Start with a cup of green tea for a slight caffeine hit. I need my caffeine! 

Breakfast juice: 
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. flax seed
1 punnet raspberries
A handful of spinach
1 Tbsp. almond butter
Squeeze of lemon
1 mashed banana (bananas can't go in the juicer due to their make up)

I really enjoyed this juice! The almond butter gives a depth and a thickness to the otherwise watery juice, but even without the sweetness of the raspberries makes it taste good. I didn't enjoy the texture of the mashed banana in it - it's lumpy and you have to eat it at the end. Reminds me of baby food.. Yuk. You don't notice the spinach at all, so I'm getting in my veggies without realising!




Lunch juice:
4 celery stalks
1 cucumber
2 handfuls kale leaves
1/2 green apple
1/2 lime (put this in the juicer last)
1/2 mugful quinoa milk (or any non-dairy milk you have on hand)
1/3 of a fresh pineapple 

















This juice is a lot more green than the breakfast juice so I feel like it's probably better for me - less sugar, more goodness. That being said, I prefer the morning juice - probably for that exact reason! With this juice, the pineapple is a necessity - it brings the only sweetness to the drink.

I repeated the breakfast juice as I was feeling a touch peckish.. And to be fair, these juices do curb your appetite! I've not felt stupidly hungry all day.. It's more a mental thing, I think. I feel like I should eat, not I need to eat.




Evening juice:
1/3 of a fresh mango
1 punnet blueberries
1 1/2 mugfuls coconut water
2 handfuls kale leaves
1 cucumber
A squeeze of lemon
1/2 avocado
1 Tbsp. flax seeds

























This was nice, and the fact it has avocado in really fills you up for the rest of the evening. I went to bed feeling fine - I hate going to bed hungry! However, I did develop a bit of a headache but I was warned this would happen.

Day Two:

Woke up feeling light and clean.. I know that sounds weird, but I did. No hunger pangs and I slept better than I'd done in a while.

Green tea again.

Morning juice:
1 mug water
1 Tbsp. flax seed
2 punnets raspberries
A handful of spinach
1 Tbsp. almond butter
Squeeze of lemon

I omitted the mashed banana because I didn't like it, so I put in an extra load of raspberries. For some strange reason this juice was half the size of my breakfast juice yesterday, which I don't quite understand but hey, tasted good. I may have licked the spoon of the almond butter.. That's not cheating, right?

Lunch juice:
4 handfuls kale 
2 apples
2 handfuls spinach
1/2 cucumber
2 celery stalks
2 carrots

1″ ginger

Not the most attractive juice - in fact it looks like puréed grass. However this is my favourite so far! The ginger gives it a nice hit, but the juice just tastes so... fresh! It's all the tastes of summer: freshly cut grass, warmth on your neck. I think I've put the message across that I like this one! 

Dinner juice:

1/2 handful kale

1/3 of a fresh mango

1/4 of a fresh pineapple

Small handful of blueberries

1 Tbsp. flax seed

1 apple

This is basically just a green coloured pineapple juice - it's fine. Nothing to write home about though. The flax seeds didn't get crushed as well so I ended up with a sort of paste left at the end, which was rather icky. 

Day Three:

I woke up fairly hungry so I went straight for my morning juice and skipped my green tea - I'll save that for later.

Morning juice:
2 apples
1/2 cucumber
1 punnet blueberries
1" ginger
1 Tbsp. flax seed
Squeeze of lemon
1 handful kale

I may have overestimated 1" of ginger so that's all I can taste in this morning juice! Not overly pleasant I must admit. I do enjoy the colours of it though - reminds me of a cocktail!





























Lunch juice:
1 apple
2 stalks celery
1/2 punnet blueberries
2 carrots
Good glug of coconut water
1 handful kale

This was an unusual colour, but it tasted fabulous! I enjoyed this one massively, and didn't need an afternoon juice before having my evening one, though I did have a probiotic yoghurt. 



























My final juice! Also known as, using up what was left in the fridge:

1/2 cucumber
1 green apple
1/4 of a pineapple
1/3 of a mango
A handful of spinach
A small handful of kale
1 punnet raspberries
1 Tbsp. agave nectar

I whizzed up the ingredients and found it rather bitter, so I added in the agave syrup which improved it no end! Even my mother (who detests these juices and the idea of a juice detox) said she could drink it a couple of times a day if she were to undertake one.. Oh how one can change! 

So in all, it's been challenging - I definitely thought of packing in the towel on at least 3 occasions, but I'm so glad I didn't! I don't know if it's done me any good, but I certainly feel fresher - and as a bonus, I even lost 4lbs! I don't know whether I'd do any longer than 3 days, but I'm definitely going to aim to do at least one day a week - probably Monday, after the weekend binge.. 

Quick and simple stir fry.

Not having an oven here in France, I do tend to have the same go-to foods: quick, healthy (some of the time) and tasty. Because my kitchen is in another corridor, I can't just pop in in my pyjamas (which I am normally in by about 5pm) so the quicker the cooking, the quicker I can be in my jimjams. C'est génie, non?

Ingredients:

• Broccoli florets (depending on how hungry you are)
• Mushrooms, quartered
• olive oil
• chilli paste
• chilli flakes

Basically, whop it all in a pan and wait for it to get hot (keep stirring!). See, cooking's a doddle! 

My favourite breakfast ever.

I seem to be veering towards quick, easy meals at the moment: ones you can throw together without even getting your brain in gear. Which is nice. Means I get longer in bed.

Take this for example: 

It doesn't even need a recipe. A crumpet, toasted just-so, smothered in agave syrup. Could it get better? Why yes. A dollop of fat-free natural yoghurt and blueberries. 

Full of antioxidants, natural sugar and low in fat, this is the perfect way to start your day!

Quick Couscous.

Couscous is the ultimate student meal - quick, cheap and tasty. You can throw in whatever you have lying around as well to create different flavours and textures.

Admittedly not the prettiest, it is uber-tasty. Don't judge it until you've tried it!

Ingredients: The list isn't definitive - add what you want to the couscous depending on what you have.

• Half a mug full of couscous (plain or flavoured)
• A whole mug of boiling water
• 1/4 cucumber, chopped
• Sprinkling of walnuts
• Sweet chilli sauce
• Paprika

1. Pour the dry couscous into a bowl and add the water. Stir so all the couscous is covered in water then leave to stand for 3-5 minutes, or until all the water has been soaked up by the couscous.
2. Fluff up the couscous with a fork.
3. Add your toppings! Mix the paprika with the couscous, then throw on the cucumber and walnuts and mix. Finish by splashing sweet chilli sauce over all of it. Enjoy!

Tom's Super Soup.

Soup is a fabulous filling meal, and doesn't have to contain unhealthy things like cream. This one is great for someone on a diet, or equally for someone who likes a bit of heat! 

Another special from Tom, he spoiled us and served this as our starter. Babe.

Have a smaller portion for a starter, or crank up the size for a main.

Ingredients:

• 6 fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 3 red pepper, chopped
• olive oil
• fresh chopped chilli or chilli flakes 

1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Throw the tomatoes and peppers onto a baking tray and smother in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Put in the oven.
2. Cook for about 30-40 minutes, tossing them every ten or so. They should be perfectly roasted.
3. Put in a food blender or a large bowl if using a handheld whizzer. Blend to a thick liquid.
4. Add the chilli. You can freeze it or chill it in the fridge if you fancy gazpacho. Alternatively, serve as soon as it's soup-like!