Food Diary Friday

7:00 AM: I start everyday with a vitamin C supplement to help me absorb iron more effectively, an Optibac Everyday Probiotics to help with digestion and gut health, and a big glass of water (not pictured).

8:00 AM: Breakfast was loaded with healthy fats and omega-3s and all round bloody delicious. I wilted spinach with thyme and black pepper in coconut oil, served with quinoa and a runny yolk fried egg fresh from the chickens in the garden. Thank you ladies.

12:30 PM: Lunch out with my Mum and Grandma was a Pepper, Tomato and Red Lentil soup, with a seeded bread roll and a sweet honey oolong tea.

4:00 PM: A snack was definitely needed to power me through my workout, so I made a creamy almond butter and soya yogurt dip to have with apple slices, and one of these Twinings Gingerbread green tea's along side it. My house officially smelt of Christmas and it was glorious.

8:00 PM: Dinner was my absolute favourite dish of aubergine slices roasted with chilli, pepper and salt, spinach wilted with garlic and black beans, and tamari infused rice. I finished the night with a pack of Strawberries & Cream Nakd Nibbles which I ate far too quickly to picture.

What does your food diary look like?

K

Apple, Golden Kiwi & Honey Porridge

Recently I’ve become obsessed with golden kiwifruit. I’m not sure if a golden kiwi is anymore nutritious than a good old green one, but we all know I’m a sucker for a unusual fruit. And regardless, kiwi’s are an incredibly rich source of vitamin C and vitamin E, both of which are essential for healthy skin, hair, teeth and bones, as well as potassium, folate and dietary fibre. In fact, the fruit packs more nutrients per ounce than many of the other fruits we consume, including oranges and bananas. Mixed with the grated apple and honey, this is a deliciously sweet, unrefined breakfast bowl with a real nutritional punch. 

Spoons at the ready.

Serves 2

100g Porridge Oats

500ml Water

130ml Coconut Milk

10g Honey

1 Apple (grated)

2 Golden Kiwifruits (sliced)

To Serve

• Pip & Nut Coconut Almond Butter

Combine your porridge oats and water in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and add your coconut milk, honey and grated apple. Continue to cook for a further 2 - 3 minutes or until it’s reached your desired consistency, stirring occasionally. You may want to add a little more liquid at this point. 

Divide between your breakfast bowls and top with golden kiwifruit and nut butter of your choice.

Enjoy.

What are your recent foodie obsessions?

K

The Best Smoky Baked Eggs

This is my go-to recipe for refuelling after a long run, or just as a nice brunch on a slow Sunday morning. It's slightly smoky, slightly spicy, and the yolks are perfect every time. They only take a few minutes to prep and 15 minutes in the oven. Serve alongside fresh crusty bread for yolk dipping and make yourself some grown-up Dippy Eggs & Soldiers.  

Eggs are high in protein and contain all the essential amino acids that our body needs, so I always opt for them as a post-workout food. I like to pair them with a carbohydrate source like the tomatoes and wholegrain bread so we can restore our glycogen levels as well as feeding our muscles.

(I make these eggs several times a week and the yolks come out looking fantastic. Of course just not on the day I go to photograph them. Real life).

Serves 2

Ingredients

4 large free range eggs

400g tinned chopped tomatoes

100g spinach

Chilli

Paprika 

Salt and black pepper

Preheat your oven to 200 Degress Celcius/180 Degrees Fan/Gas Mark 6.

Wilt the spinach with boiling water. Squeeze to drain excess water and line it on the bottom of your oven-proof dish.

In a bowl, season your chopped tomatoes with chilli, paprika, salt and black pepper to taste. Pour it over the spinach.

Create four wells in your tomatoes, spaced evenly apart. Crack your eggs into these wells.

Bake in the oven for 12 - 15 minutes, depending on how you like your yolks. 

Serve with crusty bread and butter. 

Dip to your hearts content and enjoy.

K

How do you like your eggs in the morning?

Spicy King Prawn Arrabbiata

Spicy King Prawn Arrabbiata

I recently just learnt that arrabbiata literally translates from Italian to English as "angry". I get that, because I do believe if this sauce could speak, it would be screaming the whole house down with "you totally stole my favourite shoes!!" Even though my mouth is on fireee, I can't help but go in for another spoonful. It's certainly not a push around, it's got a real kick. 

This spicy arrabbiata is a favourite in our household. Not only are king prawns a great source of lean protein and omega-3 essential fatty acids, as well as providing us with a great dose of selenium, vitamin B12 and calcium, the whole meal can be whipped together in the time it takes to boil your pasta. It's a sauce full of fresh ingredients and is both cheap and convenient.

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 teaspoons dried oregano

3 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes 

4 garlic cloves crushed

1 tablespoons olive oil

400g cherry tomatoes quartered

400g tinned chopped tomatoes

4 tablespoons tomato puree

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to season.

Responsibly source king prawns

300g brown rice pasta (if gluten-free) 

Method

Begin by cooking your pasta according to the package instructions. We use brown rice pasta in my house to accommodate for my Brother who has a bit of a gluten sensitivity, but feel free to use wholewheat pasta or whatever you have in your cupboards.

Now in a large saucepan heat the olive oil, and cook your garlic, chilli flakes and herbs for 2-3 minutes. You can use this time to prep other ingredients, and quarter your cherry tomatoes.

Add to the pan the cherry tomatoes, tinned chopped tomatoes and tomato puree. Cook for about 5 minutes before seasoning the sauce with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Stir through your king prawns and allow to cook until the prawns are warm right through.

Drain your spaghetti. 

Serve. 

And enjoy.

K

Benefits Of Dairy-Free For Your Skin & Body

Whats with all the big milk moo-ha?

Now I forgo the cheese and cracker platter out of my own ethical reasons, and I respect everyone’s personal choices when it comes to their diets. It’s simply none of my business. However, there are many great benefits for your skin and body when you ditch the dairy. So lets have a little talk about the white stuff.

1. Clearer Skin

Unfortunately for many people, dairy may be the trigger of your problematic skin conditions and inflammation, including eczema, acne and rosacea. In fact, many dermatologists recommend ditching the dairy as a first course of action in treating such skin conditions. So if you’ve tried every remedy and tablet under the sun, perhaps try eliminating dairy from your diet for a couple weeks and see if your skin improves. 

2. Healthier Digestion

It is estimated that around 70% of the world’s population has a certain degree of lactose intolerance. This intolerance means that the body is unable to easily digest lactose (the natural occurring sugar within dairy), leading to swelling and discomfort, as well as constipation and diarrhoea. So if you suffer from IBS, bloating and other digestive issues, milk may be the culprit. 

3. Weight Loss

Removing dairy from your diet cuts out a lot of excess saturated fats, sugars and salts from your diet which could help you lessen your calorie intake. And in fact, in a study of more than 12,000 children, they found that the more milk they consumed, the more weight they gained. So it's a simple switch that could help you shift a few pounds.  

Dairy-free Alternatives:

Ditching the dairy doesn’t mean you have to miss out on milk, butter and cheese. There is a large market for dairy-free alternatives which taste fantastic. We’ve been known to replace butter in cakes with a dairy-free butter and no one has been any the wiser (but lets keep that between us!).

Oatly Organic Oat Milk 

I’ve found this milk to be the best to froth up and top a cappuccino and doesn’t contain any nasty or unnecessary ingredients.

Rude Health 

Pictured is their Coconut Drink, but all their products taste delicious and are full of natural ingredients, unlike many products on the market that contain lots of stabilisers and sugars.

Flora Freedom

I’ve recently started using this new Flora Free dairy-free butter, especially in baked goods, and am pleased to learn it is made from 100% plant oils and is free from artificial preservatives, colours and flavours. 

Where do you stand on ditching the dairy?

K

July Favourites

As I’ve recently returned from a lovely summer getaway to Majorca, unsurprisingly my July Favourites have taken a bit of a sunny twist. Now I’d be lying if I didn’t say my ultimate favourite this month was the cocktail menu (Banana Margarita’s, Pina Colada’s, Hugo’s, the list goes on…), but here’s another few things that I’ve been loving:

I’m a massive fan of lobster, to eat that is, not look like. Blisters, red raw back and shoulders, skin peeling off my nose and forehead…I’ve been there before, and I assure you, it isn’t my best look. So I’m big on sun protection. I love the light formula of the La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ to wear on an everyday basis on my face, underneath or instead of foundation. I teamed it with the Ladival Lotion SPF 30, which helps protect against both UVA and UVB rays as well as harmful IR-A rays, whilst on holiday. Admittedly, I only turned a nicer shade of pale, but I still looked better than my crustacean friend.

Not only do I worry about my skin’s exposure to the sun, I also worry about my hair’s. I treated my locks to an Aussie Moisturise Miracle Mask every evening instead of my usual conditioner for a little extra hydration. 

And whilst during the day I omitted the full face of make-up routine, of an evening I do like to get dressed up. I loved the Clinique Beyond Perfecting 2-in-1 Foundation and Concealer to give me the most amazing, flawless finish that even a barbie doll might be jealous of.

In-between lounging around in the sun in this gorgeous bikini from the Kendall & Kylie Swim Collection for Topshop bikini, and taking the odd cheeky mid-morning nap, I had plenty of time to read. I finally finished And The Mountains Echoed which was every bit as beautiful as Khaled Hosseini’s other novels, and got my teeth stuck into the 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People.

And lastly, and possibly the only thing better than Banana Margaritas this month, are the new Nakd Bar flavours that I arrived home to. So far my favourite is the Carrot Cake flavour, but I can just tell the Peanut Delight won’t be too far behind…

What were your favourites this month?

K