Talking Sugar

Today I had a fantastic opportunity to talk about sugar, its effects on health and how to curb those cravings at the Finnish women's weekend.  

Sugar has been in the media recently and for a good reason. Several studies has shown sugar and refined carbohydrate's role in increasing a risk of chronic diseases. 

Highlights of the presentation included: 

• The amount of sugar that is eaten has increased 31.5% since 1990
• The number of people with diabetes has more than tripled since 1980
• Sugar increases levels of triglycerides in blood and may contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease
• Read food labels carefully.  Sugar has many names such as fructose, glucose, maltose, dextrose.  Even products labelled 'natural' or 'healthy' may have added sugars in. 
• Increase intake of wholegrains, vegetables and good quality protein that contain fibre and are slower to digest.  These won't raise blood sugar as quickly as refined carbohydrates

Spring Cleanse

Do you feel run down, heavy and tired?  If the answer is yes, then join me for the Spring Detox where I will be guiding you to back to health!  

Our bodies are exposed to many harmful substances (pesticides, poor dietary choices, heavy metals, alcohol, etc) and over time this can overload our detoxification processes.  

During these 10 days we will give your body a gentle cleanse by avoiding caffeine, sugar, wheat and alcohol.  We will be eating fresh and nutritious food. This will help you to increase your vitality and improve well-being.  You may even lose a few kilos!  

We start on Friday 28th March. For 79 euros you will receive a personal health assessment, insight to detoxification, detox guide plus 2 x 5 day menus and shopping lists!   You will also be part of a fantastic online community where you get daily tips and have support of other cleansers.  

This is not a fad detox and you won't be starving. You will be eating delicious meals and feel fantastic!  

There is no better time than today to sign up with our 10 day Spring Detox!  

Scrumptious Ice-Cream

Here's a recipe for a delicious and healthy ice-cream.  Super easy to make too!   

Banana & mango ice-cream 

Makes 4 portions. Dairy-free. 

• 5 frozen bananas (peel before freezing)
• Handful of frozen mangos
• 1 tbsp organic honey
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 heaped tablespoon of raw cacao

1. Put bananas and mango into a blender and blend until smooth. 
2. Melt the honey and coconut oil in a glass bowl / heatproof dish on top pot of simmering water. Add raw cacao and mix until smooth and glossy consistency.
3. Put the ice-cream in bowls and drizzle warm chocolate sauce on the top.  Enjoy! 

Coconut Macaroons

Great day of networking at the Amsterdam Small Business Network Boutique Pop-up Event. The event was organised for local businesses to showcase their products and services to the public. It was fantastic to see so many fantastic small businesses in Amsterdam!  

I made these great little coconut macaroons (original recipe from fantastic Wholefoodsimply) to support my fellow New Year New Your partners, Saron Hansen van Diemen at Total Self and Alison Primavera at Primavera Training.  Very simple to make and absolutely delicious!  

Coconut Macaroons

Coconut Macaroons 

150g of shredded coconut

2 eggs whites

2 tablespoons of organic honey

1 tablespoon of raw cacao or 1 tsp of vanilla essence 

1. Mix the ingredients until combined.

2. Roll into small balls (use a tablespoon)

3. Put on a lined baking tray

4. Bake for 12-14 minutes. 

Dinner Time

After a busy working day, dinner has to be prepared pretty quickly to feed the hungry kids and avoid any meltdowns.  I have never been one to spend hours in the kitchen so our household dinners are usually simple and easy to make.  Tonight's dinner was made out of whatever I found in the fridge; sweetcorn, eggs, coriander and spinach. Spinach is not a huge favourite with my girls but these pancakes were a huge hit!   

Sweetcorn & Spinach Pancakes

• 1 can of sweetcorn (around 400g)
• 2 eggs
• 120g buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• small handful of coriander
• big handful of spinach (washed, chopped)
• 1 onion
• Pinch of salt & pepper

Method:

1.  Place all the ingredients in a medium size bowl and blend until combined.  You can also use food processor to do this. 

2. Put little oil or butter in the frying pan and when hot, drop 2 tablespoons of batter into it.  Fry for a few minutes until golden and flip over.  If using oil, put the pancakes on top of a tea towel to get rid of excess oil.

3. Carrot & orange salad: grate 1 carrot and peel and cut orange into small pieces. 

You could also add cheese or shredded courgette into the pancake batter.

Banana & Blueberry Muffins

I love porridge and have it for most days for my breakfast.  Today I felt like something different and made these delicious little muffins yesterday which are great for breakfast or as a snack.  Dairy and wheat-free.  

Banana & Blueberry Muffins (makes around 12-14 muffins) 

75g softened coconut oil

30g honey

2 large bananas, mashed (use fork or blender) 

1 handful of blueberries (wash before)

120ml almond milk (or oat / rice milk)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

150g buckwheat flour

25g of hemp seeds

20g grounded flaxseeds

1. Preheat oven to 180 celcius. Place muffin cases into a muffin tray or baking tray.

2. Cream coconut oil and honey until soft.  Mash bananas with fork or blend until smooth. 

3. Mix the remaining ingredients (except blueberries) until smooth consistency.

4. Spoon into muffin cases (2-3 tablespoons). Sprinkle blueberries on the top.

5. Bake for 25min until the tops are golden.  Let cool before eating.  Store in airtight jar.