Thursday 19 July 2012

Good and bad news...plus healthy breakfast ideas

Today I got the results of a blood test I had a few weeks back for diabetes and blood sugar.
The results came back ok but the doctor mentioned something about a higher than normal cvt (I think)..Anyway this means my red blood cells are larger than normal. When we were talking about my food diary I mentioned that when I had bread I was feeling sluggish and he said straight away that this could be because I may be a celiac, as high cvt and celiac is somehow linked.
So basically I had some more blood taken and will know the results in a few days. It wouldn't surprise me if I do turn out to be a celiac as I get so sleepy after having wheat plus bread makes me bloated and gives me bags under my eyes.

I'm contemplating giving up being vegan, my list of foods I can't eat is getting bigger!
It includes:

  1. sugar
  2. meat
  3. dairy
  4. eggs
  5. wheat
I'm sure there is more, but I'm considering introducing eggs and fish back into my diet. I can't have dairy as I'm lactose intolerant of course so I'd still be eating very well...could anyone give me any comments, advice or support? I would really appreciate it. Thank-you.


Meanwhile, here are a few vegan breakfast ideas, should I choose to remain vegan as the only thing I'll miss is my porridge in the mornings..click the captions for the links to the site and recipe.

Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa
Quinoa cinnamon breakfast bowl

Pancakes!
Vegan rice pudding
Tofu Frittata
Healthy salad bowl

Gluten free quinoa breakfast brownie bars
quinoa-breakfast-brownies

Sweet potato with yoghurt  and walnuts
Fronch toast




 After seeing so many options, I'm feeling more confident and happy that I can remain vegan and still eat a wide variety of foods. Just have to remember to cook some rice, sweet potato or quinoa before I go to bed!

Wednesday 18 July 2012

I made almond milk!

I've always wanted to make my own nut milk and after doing so, I felt such a sense of achievement!
Not sure why really, as I've made more difficult dishes before but this just gave me such a sense of accomplishment and once I drank it and appreciated that I had made it myself and therefore knew everything that went into it without having to worry about dodgy carrageenan and all that miscellaneous junk that I don't particularly want inside me.



As an added bonus, when making almond milk you are left with the "pulp" which is great for smoothies or just eating with agave nectar or honey stirred through as a sweet protein rich treat.
I'll never go back to buying almond milk now I know how easy and economical making your own really is.

Ingredients
1/2 cup of almonds, soaked overnight in water
Agave and / or salt to taste

Method
Place almonds along with 5 cups of water in a blender (you may need to do this in two batches) with your salt and or agave.
Blend for around a minute until you have a frothy white liquid.
Strain this through a muslin cloth and that's it!

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Banana bread breakfast smoothie recipe.

I needed something a bit more filling in my morning smoothie and thought of quinoa!
Quinoa is one of my favourite foods for its protein and the fact that it contains all the amino acids plus loads of other nutrients that compliment a vegan diet very well.

In the blender I chucked in some ready cooked quinoa, a glass of almond milk, a ripe banana, some agave nectar and a pinch of cinnamon. It's a delicious and wholesome breakfast treat. Try it for yourself!



Ooh I also added a tablespoon of this awesome seed powder mix stuff.



Thursday 12 July 2012

I have to make this OLIVE OIL AND MAPLE GRANOLA recipe





OLIVE OIL AND MAPLE GRANOLA


This recipe was featured on This site (click for recipe).
Food52 is one of the best foodie sites I've seen and I love all the recipe contests that they have, not that I enter any...maybe I will one day. But for now I'll dream about eating this granola.


Monday 9 July 2012

Happy Kitchen Chocolate Brownie Review!


This chocolate brownie is unbelievable!
100% made from plants, rich in coconut oil and sweetened with fruit juice.
I was expecting a more fruity flavour, like those dried fruit and nut raw bars you get that have exciting sounding flavours on the label but really all taste the same.
This was a very exciting change. It's rich, gooey and feels decadent and naughty...not vegan in the slightest! I've had non vegan packed brownies that didn't taste anywhere near as good as this!
I'd happily pay the £1.50 too so its good value.
The hint of sea salt really brings out the depth of the cocoa, I love it!!



Sunday 8 July 2012

My awesome trail mix and quinoa breakfast recipe.


There it is! Behold the delicious goodness of this trail mix!
I always have some trail mix in my cupboard. It's great for stirring into porridge and grazing on.
This morning I was stuck as to what to have for breakfast as I had no milk alternatives. I did, however have some leftover quinoa.
I thinly sliced an apple, plated it up with the quinoa, drizzled with agave nectar and then sprinkled liberally with my trail mix. It was very tasty and hit the spot.

My trail mix had toasted coconut, cashews, chewy banana coins, dates, lots of seeds, dried apple, cranberries and anything else I can get my hands on, it all goes in.

Do you make your own trail mix? If so, what delights do you put in it?



Wednesday 4 July 2012

Sorry its been so quiet..

I've been super busy recently. I turned vegan about 3 months ago. This was pretty tough to start with and I had problems with my blood sugar and over-ate, put on weight and was depressed.
Then I tried spirulina for the first time and I was just like "where have you been all my life" it is amazing. I was recommended to keep a food diary from the doctors and to cut out sugar completely. I discovered through my diary that every time I was having food with yeast in, I was bloated, sleepy and had bags under my eyes the next day. So now finding stuff to eat is pretty tricky (That's vegan, no sugar or yeast!) I do love a good challenge though. Back to the spirulina - it really is incredible stuff. I've got more energy than I can ever remember having, my skin and hair are just ridiculously awesome and my constant appetite and thoughts of food 24/7 have all calmed down, I'm returning to my normal weight, and I can safely say I'm back to my happy self again.

Here is a typical day of what I eat.
8am - Smoothie or porridge with super protein powder, banana, apple, almond milk, dates, flaxseeds.
11am - I have either some more smoothie or a piece of fruit to keep my blood sugars stable.
2pm - Lunch at work, usually quinoa, lentils, daikon radish, carrots, seeds, hummus, that kind of thing.
5pm - More fruit
6:30pm - Dinner of tagine, stir fry, sushi, curry ...list goes on!

So there you have it. I also drink a lot of herbal tea and iced water with lemon (no caffeine), cycle to work everyday, work out 4 times a week and take spirulina 3 times a day.
I feel AMAZING!
I've recommended spirulina to two friends and they have thanked me so much because it is just wonderful stuff. Here are some of the benefits.

"an amazing wholefood supplement containing over 100 easily-absorbed, life-enhancing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients. Gram for gram it has more bioavailable protein than meat, fish, eggs, cheese and is the closest thing to mother’s milk in nutritional value. Also rich in iron, calcium, magnesium and trace minerals and has more GLA (Gamma Linolenic Acid) than Evening Primrose Oil. You feel more energised and your blood-sugar levels become more balanced helping you lose or gain weight, whatever you need."


"Spirulina is a single-celled blue green algae that has the highest protein content of any natural food and is densely packed with over 100 vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and phytonutrients. This highly energising organism has been heralded as one of the key foods for the future. * Spirulina is 65% protein and contains all the essential amino acids * Spirulina contains the entire anti-oxidant spectrum * Spirulina contains 58 times more biochelated iron than raw spinach * Spirulina contains 25 times more beta-carotene that raw carrots! * Spirulina complements Chlorella as a dietary supplement and they are often taken together. Amazing facts * Spirulina is Nature's richest whole-food source of the entire anti-oxidant spectrum including: beta-carotene, vitamin E, selenium, methionine, cysteine, super oxide dismutase, glutathionine, peroxides, copper, manganese, zinc, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-5, and B-6. It is the only source of phycocyanin, an immune stimulant. * Spirulina contains 58 times the amount of biochelated iron than raw spinach and 28 times richer than raw beef liver. * Spirulina contains 3 times the amount of Vitamin E than raw wheat germ, and its action in the body is 49% greater than that of synthetic vitamin E. * Spirulina is nature's richest source of beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A). It's 25 times higher than raw carrots! * Spirulina is nature's richest source of gamma linolenic acid (GLA). It's 3 times richer than evening primrose! The polyunsaturated oils in Spirulina contain 21% GLA (GLA is the active ingredient in evening primrose oil - evening primrose oil contains up to 10% GLA). * Spirulina is a rich whole food source of chlorophyll - equal to that of alfalfa or wheat-grass."




If you want to read more, you can always head over to my main blog which I update much more frequently.