Healthy Blueberry Bran Muffins

At the moment everyone seems to be going crazy for the 5:2 diet. This recipe featured in The Times magazine a few weeks ago amongst a collection of 'under 300 calorie' recipes. I was amazed that they more or less have no fat in them, and it is the curdling of the milk that makes the liquid thicker. I decided to give these a go for a snack to see how they worked out and they were really delicious! The blueberries help to keep them moist, and considering they are only 150 calories each - they're pretty good! Give them a go!

Recipe: (Makes 10)

- 200ml skimmed milk

- Juice of half a lemon

- 150g of plain flour

- 100g self-raising flour

- 1 tbsp of oat bran (I used wheat bran)

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

- pinch of salt

- 50g muscovado sugar

- 1 tbsp runny honey

- 1 egg

- 2 good handfulls of blueberries

How to make:

- Combine the milk and the lemon juice together in a jug and leave for 5 minutes to rest. Preheat the oven to 180c and line a muffin tray with cases.

- Mix together all of the dry igrediants together in a large bowl. Add the honey and the egg to the milk and whisk with a fork until combined, then add to the dry mixture.

- Mix until it comes together and then fold in the blueberries. Spoon the mixture in to the muffin try and pop in the oven.

- Bake for around 18-20 minutes until they are golden on top and a skewer comes out clean.

 - Then enjoy! These muffins can also be enjoyed as a pudding if you add some ice cream or a dollop of yoghurt! 

 Enjoy 

xXx

Spinach, Ginger and Berry Green Smoothie

I was lucky to get a fantastic Kitchen aid blender for Christmas, which now means I can make smoothies! I have made all kind of smoothies but I particularly like this green one, even thought my recipe changes all the time depending on what I have to hand! I like to pop my smoothie in to a bowl and top with fruit and granola- makes a healthy snack!

Recipe: (Makes 3 glasses)

- Mixed frozen berries (I use Waitrose Love life berry smoothie mix)

- Thumb size piece of ginger

- Good glug of Coconut water or Almond milk

- 2 large handfuls of spinach

How to make:

- Quite simply blend all of the ingredients in your blender until smooth - easy as that! 

 Enjoy 

xXx

Fruit and Nut Chocolate Drops

I haven't done a post since last year as I have been busy completing a professional wine course, but I am back and ready to give you a wonderful recipe for some homemade choccies!

I made these a lot at Christmas to give to friends as presents, they are so versatile and easy to make. You can change any of the ingredients to what you have available, and they look great too which is always a plus!

How to make: (makes about 24)

- 200g Good quality Dark or Milk chocolate

- Roasted Pistachios

- Mixed roasted nuts

- Dried Cranberries

- Other dried fruits

- Pinch of salt

(You can use any kind of nuts or dried fruit that you like)

Recipe: 

- Start by chopping up your nuts and dried fruit in to smaller pieces and arrange on a plate so you have them ready to use.

- Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Then melt the chocolate over a pan of boiling water (or in the microwave if you prefer). Leave to cool slightly.

- Drop spoonfuls of the melted chocolate on to the lined trays and then sprinkle over a little salt on each drop. Drop the chopped nuts and fruit on top and then leave to set in the fridge- about an hour should set them.

- I put the chocolate drops in to clear bags and tied them with a bow- perfect for a present at any time of year!

* You don't have to use fruit and nuts at all, I have used mini marshmallows, chopped up chocolate bars and sprinkles on them which work great too. 

Photo how to:

Enjoy! 

xXx

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds!

I know Halloween was quite a while ago now, but I have only just got around to making this post! I love Halloween, its always good fun and one of the best bits (other than the copious amounts of chocolate) is carving a pumpkin! 

You can't eat much of a carved pumpkin, but the seeds, they are fantastic roasted! They are really simple to do and they only need a few seasonings to taste delicious. You can use any spices you like depending on your taste!

Give them a go! (you can also roast other squash seeds, I roasted spaghetti squash seeds the other day and they were just as good!)

Recipe: (makes enough for a bowl full)

- One large Pumpkin

- Good glug of Olive Oil (can use melted coconut oil too)

- Salt

- Pepper

- Garlic Granules (dried garlic)

- Cayenne Pepper

To make:

- Preheat the oven to 200c. Make sure the pumpkin seeds are dry, tip them on to the baking tray and add the oil and spices and then mix.

- Spread the seeds out so they cover the tray evenly. Then roast them for about 15-20mins, but keep an eye on them as the ones around the edge will brown more quickly.

- Roast until light golden brown, try one to see that they are slightly crisp. Then allow them to cool and tip them in to a pretty bowl and enjoy!

Photo how to:

Mix the seeds with the oil and spices

Spread the seeds evenly on the baking tray and then roast

The spices I used and my pumpkin hiding behind!

The finished seeds should look a bit like this

Then serve them in a little bowl with some drinks!

My pumpkin this year! Happy (belated) Halloween! 

xXx

Healthy Banana, Oat and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am currently living down in the south of France as I am doing a French and Wine course! Our cooking facilities are not terribly fantastic so I haven't been able to do much baking, but I eventually got around to making some 'cookies' this afternoon. They are not your typical cookie, as they are healthy! I originally saw the recipe on Blogilates website but I wanted to make my own version using some chocolate chips. 

They are ridiculously easy to make and only have around 50 calories per cookie (depending on what size you make them!). The other upside to these cookies are that there are only 3 ingredients needed- and they're the kind of ingredients that one always has lurking in the cupboard. They have a soft texture with a slightly crisp outside, and the chocolate chips are perfect with the banana flavour - give them a go! 

Recipe: (makes 16)

- 1 cup of Oats

- 2 very ripe Bananas

- Good handful of Chocolate chips ( I used dark)

- Handful of Raisins (optional)

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 200c and line and grease a baking tray.

- Firstly mash the bananas until they are almost a liquid consistency. Then add the Oats, Chocolate chips and raisins if using. 

-  Mix throughly until combined and then using a spoon, dollop the mixture on to the making tray. Then bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, but keep an eye on them to check they dont burn around the edges. When ready they should have a golden top.

- Leave to cook and then enjoy with some tea for a healthy treat! 

Cookies ready to go in the oven!

Close up!

xXx

Sweet and Savoury Puff Pastry Bites

Puff pastry is always a great thing to use if you want to whip up a really tasty, quick and easy bite to eat. Its a good idea to have a roll of ready made puff pastry in the freezer so you can make something last minute.

My friend Rosie had some puff pastry that she needed using up, so we made these little puff pastry bites. We made both sweet and savoury ones, and they're good as you can put pretty much whatever takes your fancy inside!

We made a selection of, Banana with chocolate chunks/ peanut butter, raspberry with chocolate chunks, and Gouda cheese with spiced chutney.

Recipe: (makes 14)

- 1 pack of ready rolled puff pastry

- Little bit of milk for glazing

Fillings:

(You can choose any combinations you like, or whatever you have in the cupboard/fridge!)

- 1/2 Banana

- Chocolate chunks

- Nutella/ Peanut Butter

- A few Raspberries

- Chocolate chunks

- Gouda cheese, cut in to little cubes

- A few tsp of Chutney/ Pickle

To make:

- Lay out the puff pastry and cut the pastry in half and then in to strips. You should have 14 rectangular shapes. Lightly score a mark to half the rectangles so you can see where to fold them in half. 

- Put your chosen fillings on to one side of the pastry and then fold over the pastry to make a little parcel. With the back of a fork press down along the edges to seal the parcel. Brush with some milk.

- Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 200c, until they are golden brown on the top and bottom. Allow them to cool a little before serving as the filling will be very hot!

- Enjoy the sweet parcels with ice cream or custard as a pudding. And the cheesy parcels work well with a little salad as a starter or light main course.

- Enjoy!

The puff pastry cut in to 14 rectangles

Two of the fillings

The finished golden brown parcels

xXx

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

I hadn't really appreciated how easy it was to make soup until yesterday! I was with my beautiful friend Rosie and she suggested that we made soup for lunch as she had lots of ripe Tomatoes and Peppers to use up.

I didn't realise how simple it was to do - just roast a load of vegetables (any selection would taste delicious I'm sure) with some garlic and spices, add some stock and then blend in a food processor and re-heat before serving with some fresh crusty bread!

So all credit goes to Rosie for this wonderful recipe! 

Recipe: (serves 2, but can be easily doubled or tripled)

- 8 medium vine Tomatoes

- 2 large red Peppers

- 1 red onion or 2 shallots

- 3 cloves of garlic

- 1 fresh Chili or a sprinkle of Chili Flakes

- Few sprigs of fresh Thyme

- Splash of Olive oil

- Salt and pepper for seasoning

- 1 Stock cube (Vegetable or Chicken)

- 200ml of boiling water

How to make:

- Chop all your veggies up in to large chunks, pop in to a large baking tray and scatter the garlic cloves, olive oil, spices and seasoning over the vegetables and give it a good mix.

- Roast in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, until all the vegetables are looking cooked and slightly charred in places (this gives it a slight smokey flavour).

- Put the roasted vegetables in to the food processor and blend until it looks like a thick and chunky tomato sauce. Make the stock and then pour in to the vegetable mixture and then whizz again until fully mixed in, but be careful not to whizz too much as you still want to have a thick texture.

- Pour the soup in to a saucepan and re-heat until steamy, then serve with some crusty bread and cheese!

- Enjoy!

The veggies ready for roasting

The roasted vegetables ready for the food processor

Before blending

Soup is ready, along with crusty fresh white bread and cheese!

xXx