Blog – Full Width

  1. Home
  2. Blog – Full Width

BERRY BREAKFAST

by February 4, 2018

This is one of my favourite breakfasts here in Australia.

Raspberries, Blackberries (usually I also add blueberries but I was out of them) 1 teaspoon of chia seeds, 1 tablespoon of Powerfood and 1 tablespoon of natural full fat yoghurt.

Powerfood contains macadamia nuts, almonds, coconut, organic milled golden flaxseed, pecans, pumpkin seeds, natural vanilla extract and cinnamon. It is not a powder, but the nuts have been crushed up a little bit.

I find it really quite filling due to the good fats in the nuts, seeds and the yoghurt. The yoghurt together with the chia seeds provide protein and the red and black berries provide lots of antioxidents as well as a multitude of vitamins and minerals.

 

Raspberries are very high in Vitamin C, Manganese, fibre, copper, Vitamin K, Biotin, Vitamin E, Magnesium, folate, Omega 3 and Potassium.

Blackberries are very high in Vitamin C, fibre, Vitamins A, E, K and B, Copper, Manganese, Magnesium, Potassium and folate.

It is incredible to think that each of those small berries are such a powerhouse of nutrients.

FRIED RICE

by February 2, 2018

I used the left overs of the Teriyaki Tofu Rice Bowl to make this fried rice for dinner.

Firstly I made a small omelette with two egg yolks and rolled it up and sliced it.

I then sauteed 1/4 fresh pineapple in a tiny amount of coconut oil until it was nicely browned.

Then I sauteed one chopped onion, 2 cloves garlic crushed, one courgette chopped, 1 green jalapeno chilli chopped and broccoli chopped into small pieces in a small amount of coconut oil.

I added the left over tofu and marinade and mixed it all together with the vegetables and pineapple. The tofu broke up but that does not matter.

Then I added the cooked rice and one large grated carrot and mixed everything together until it had heated through.

I served it with the rolled up omelette slices on top, and with the radish and onion dish on the side. I also added a small bowl of Kimchi on the side as well.

It was delicious, very easy to make and a great way to use up left overs !!

TERIYAKI TOFU RICE BOWL

by February 2, 2018

I made this Teriyaki Tofu Rice Bowl the other night. It is quite mild in flavour but tasty in a comforting way.

Firstly make pickled onion and radish accompaniment – finely slice 1 small white onion and 4 small radishes. Sprinkle over 1/2 teaspoon good quality salt (Maldon or Himalayan Pink Salt are good) and 1 1/2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar. Stir and leave to marinate. You might give it a stir every now and again. The longer this is left the softer and milder it becomes.

Next step is to marinate the tofu (cut into thin slices) in 2 tablespoons finely grated ginger, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 4 cloves garlic crushed, 2 teaspoons honey, sprinkle of red chilli flakes (to taste – depends if you like a bit of heat) and 4 tablespoons sesame oil.

I cooked brown basmati rice using the absorption method (1 portion of rice to 2 portions of water, bring to the boil and simmer with lid on for 12 minutes, remove from heat and leave covered for 10 minutes) adding 1 teaspoon of vegetarian friendly stock powder to the water. (Check the salt content of any bought stock products, they can be very high in salt – I used an organic one called SOL Superbroth, it is vegan friendly and has mushrooms, seaweed, kale, tumeric, garlic, onion, parsley, ginger, celery seed, mustard seed and Himalayan salt – it adds a very nice savoury but delicate flavour to the water when cooking rice, quinoa, pulses etc.)

Dry fry 1 sliced red pepper and add to your rice.

Steam your broccoli florets or tender stem broccoli.

Fry your tofu in a pan with some coconut oil, till they are nicely browned. Be gentle as they are delicate, but you do want a bit of color on them.

Place your cooked rice in your bowl, top with some steamed broccoli, your radish and onion mix (without the liquid) and your fried tofu pieces.

Whilst plating up, put the remaining marinade in the pan and cook slightly till it is a bit syrupy – it only takes a minute, and drizzle this sauce over the dish.

This photo shows one portion, before the sauce was poured over the top !!

Enjoy !

GREEN BREAKFAST SMOOTHY

by January 24, 2018

I am normally not a smoothy person, I prefer to eat my food rather than drink it. However my daughter made this smoothy for us this morning and it is delicious. Because it has texture it feels more substantial and it is very satisfying.

It contains 1/4 pineapple, 2 handfuls of baby spinach, 1 kiwi, 1 small banana, 1/2 green apple, juice of 1/2 lime, 1/2 avocado, 1 teaspoon chia seeds and a small handful of mint with some coconut water. This was all blended together in a nutri bullet. This makes two large glasses of smoothy.

PUMPKIN SEED PESTO

by January 22, 2018

I made a delicious pumpkin seed pesto to go with our lunch today. Two handfuls of pumpkin seeds, toasted in the frypan. Three cloves of garlic. Large handful of basil leaves. Approx 1 tablespoon olive oil. Large chunk of Parmesan cheese (about three fingers sized), grated and a little water to loosen it up. I put everything into a nutri bullet and whizzed it up adding a little more water until I got the consistency I wanted.

I served this with a tomato and mixed baby leaves salad.

Pumpkin seeds are rich in Zinc and other minerals such as Manganese, Magnesium, Iron and Copper. They are also a good source of the various forms of Vitamin E and are a good source of Protein.

Basil is also a good source of minerals such as Manganese, Calcium, Iron and Copper, as well as being a very good source of Vitamin K, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Basil is also a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids.

Garlic is a good source of the minerals Manganese, Selenium and Calcium. It is also high in Vitamin B6, B1 and Vitamin C. Garlic is part of the allium family, and is high in sulphur which helps the liver make the enzymes needed to detoxify the body.

Parmesan Cheese is a good source of all the B Vitamins, plus Vitamins A, D, E and K. It is also a good source of Calcium and Protein.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is high in many phenols and polyphenols which in studies have been shown to have very effective anti inflammatory properties, especially in relation to the cardiovascular system. EVOO is also a good source of Vitamin E.

BONDI LUNCH IDEAS!

by January 19, 2018

Lunch in Bondi Beach Sydney. More options to try at home (not to replicate exactly, more to give ideas for flavour combinations).

The closest dish in the photo was delicious. Roast new potatoes, sauted red onion and spinach, steamed broccoli florets, chunky tomato relish, pan fried halloumi slices, poached egg with hollandaise and paprika sprinkled over the top.

The dish furtherest away was good too, labna (thickend natural yoghurt) with grilled red pepper slices, roast cherry tomatoes and two poached eggs drizzled with chilli oil.

Finally two vegetarian dishes that don’t have pumpkin (much as I love it, it is in almost every vege option) however eggs still feature heavily.

I will try both of these at home and send on recipes !

The drink is watermelon juice with lime – very refreshing on a hot day !

Subscribe to our newsletter

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Proin porttitor nisl nec ex consectetur, quis ornare sem molestie. Sed suscipit sollicitudin nulla tempor congue. Integer sed elementum odio.

Error: Contact form not found.

    If you need more information, have questions or would like to make an appointment please contact me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.  I am based in South County Dublin and am happy to see clients in my clinic or in their homes.

    ADDRESS

    Dundrum, Dublin 14, Ireland

    PHONE

    +353 (0)87 417 9968

    EMAIL

    leanne@balancednutrition.ie

    Cart