Recipe: Healthy Granola

Breakfast is easily my favourite meal of the day. Anything breakfast related excites me, including this wonderful quote from Hunter S. Thomspon. Although, this recipe doesn't involve four bloody Mary's.

During the colder months I tend to stick to warming bowls porridge (with lashings of cinnamon, which happens to be a great immune system booster). For spring and summer, I like to mix it up a little. Granola and Greek yoghurt is my combination of choice 80% of the time. Recently, when scanning the shelves of supermarkets, health food stores etc I've found the granola options on offer to be full of refined sugar, chemicals and ingredients I can't actually pronounce, leaving them lacking in vitamins, minerals and protein - essential to keep you going.

This encouraged me to make my own honest granola. No honey, syrup or sugar binding the oats together, just ripe bananas, apricots and dates. 

It's versatile and contains a natural sweetness. Brimming with fruit and protein, setting you up to be super productive (or relaxed), what better way to start your day?

Yield: 10 servings (at 50g each)

Time to prepare: Up to an hour and half

Lasts: a very long time! (best kept in an air tight container)

Equipment: blender, chopping board, mixing bowl, scissors, baking tray, greaseproof paper, spoon

Ingredients:

Basic Mix:

2 slightly over ripe bananas

8 dates (medjool dates are perfect)

7 dried apricots

300g oats (gluten free if you prefer) + 50g extra for toasting

50ml water or milk (of your choice)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Toppings:

70g raisins

40g chopped almonds or sliced if preferred

**Note: These are all optional and highly depend on your own taste! Other great toppings include: any seeds, spices, nuts, dried or fresh (best added at time of eating) fruit.

Method:

1. Start by preheating your oven to 180ºC and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Weigh out 300g of oats. Then, cut (scissors work well for this) the dates, apricots, and bananas in to small chunks - best kept in separate bowls.

2. Add half the dates and one of the bananas to the blender, leave to blend on medium power for 2-3 minutes - don't be surprised if the dates are tricky to completely break down, a few chunks taste great in the finished result.

3. Next, you want create the component that will bind the oats together.

Throw half the apricots and a few chunks of the second banana in to the mix. Maintain medium power on the blender. Slowly add 50ml of water/milk to the blender as the mix continues to blend. Follow with the remaining banana, dates, apricots and cinnamon - this should be done slowly if your blender isn't very powerful.

Leave to blend until smooth, adding more liquid if needed (this helps to break down the structure of the fruit).

I know it looks gross - stay with me!

4. In a clean mixing bowl, spoon half of the liquid mixture (It will most likely be quite thick) and half of the oats. Combine the two entities together until the oats are full coated. Repeat this action with the rest of the fruit mixture and oats.

5. Evenly spread the uncooked granola mix on to the lined baking tray. Break up the mixture with a spoon, leaving a few chunks. Sprinkle the extra 50g of oats on to the baking tray and place in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes or until golden in colour. Check your granola every 10 minutes, turning/moving the chunks around so all cooks evenly.  

If you prefer your granola a little soft then 20-25 minutes in the oven should be just enough. 

Remember to take in to account that it will continue to cook and firm up until fully cool.

6. Leave the cooked granola on the tray to cool for 15/20 mins - if the cooked granola is left in the container before completely cooled it will turn soggy and not so scrummy. 

Pour the finished granola and your chosen toppings into an airtight container and gently shake so each spoonful gets a decent serving of all the yummies.

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Recipe: Holy Guacamole

I'm a big fan of fresh food! Anything raw and ready to munch is ideal for me. 

After fancying some avocado in my lunch one day, I picked up some guacamole from the supermarket. More than ready for some good food I sat down and gave the guacamole a go. Only to find it was pretty much baby food with a whole lot of garlic - not my style!

And that's what lead to my own simple and easy recipe for guacamole!

Yield: 2-3 servings

Time to Prepare: 10 minutes

Lasts: 4-5 days

Equipment: bowl, chopping board, knife, whisk, spoon

Ingredients:

1 large avocado

3 Tomkin/cherry/plum tomatoes

The juice of half a lime

Salt and pepper

1 chilli or chilli flakes (optional)

Method:

1. Pulverise the tomatoes with a knife and place in the bowl. Then, cut your avocado in half and remove the stone - don't throw this away!*

2. Scoop out the avocado and add it to the bowl. Next, squeeze the juice of half a lime into the bowl and season with salt and pepper (to taste).

3. If you prefer a cooler guacamole, skip this step.

Deseed and finely chop your chilli then add to the other ingredients - alternatively add a sprinkle of chilli flakes.

4. Using the whisk, mix up the ingredient in the bowl - remembering to release a little frustration by smashing up the avocado - the consistency of your guacamole is up to you, i prefer mine with a few chunks so mixing only took around two minutes.

*If you're not going to use the guacamole straight away placing the stone on top of the mixture will prevent it browning. After doing this, cover with cling film and place in the fridge.

There you go! A quick and healthy recipe for guacamole perfect for any time of the day.

I serve mine with a mixed salad and gluten free, organic, rice cakes.

How do you like yours? Are there any other recipes you'd like me to post?

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What A Headache

It's my day off that has lead to this spontaneous post. Right now, I am faced with an excruciating headache - I probably couldn't call it a migraine - and the choice between taking medicine and not taking medicine.

For myself, I don't entertain the idea of medicine. I find it difficult to place something unnatural into my body to 'fix' a (sometimes) natural occurrence (in this case, a simple headache).

I've been prescribed my fair share of medicine in the past. Many I care not to mention.

At a younger age, I am aware I have ingested medicine and it did resolved whatever health issue I had. However, the past few years I've been offered various medicines to either aid or cure my 'problems' (I place that word in quotation marks because I often find problems are to do with perspective and opinions). In short, I did try the offered medicine and although many family and friends said they saw a difference, however I didn't feel one. I've learnt to acknowledge how I feel during the time I take medicine and how I look/appear when taking it - two very different things to be aware of.

Granted I accept there are many illnesses and diseases that do depend heavily on medicine, and that's fine! I am also aware that each person is completely free to obtain their own opinions about said topic without being wrongly judged.

In conclusion, I won't being taking medicine for this headache. A walk and plenty of water always sorts me out, and leaves me feeling a lot better than any chemicals do.

(Image Source)

I'd be interested to hear your own opinions and experiences with medicine. Leave a comment below!

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Healthy 10

10 things that make me feel healthy!

1. Eating well rounded meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner.
2. Exercise - especially Yoga and swimming.
3. Seeing my family and investing in my relationships - there are very few people I'd rather spend my time with and actively participating in the love shared between me and another makes me feel alive.
4. Accepting and seeking help/advice from others - I'm slowly learning that there's no shame in needing a little guidance every now and then. After all, no man is an island.
5. A good chat - knowing when it's time to just sit and talk about the world and where I am brings me great comfort.
6. Brisk walking against the wind - I can feel the wind go by when I run. It feels good. It feels fast.
7. Knowing I've made others feel good.
8. Recognising that I can't control the universe. I am the water, not a rock.
9. Sleeping 9 hours every night without interruption - Zzzz...
10. Being mindful - it keeps me grounded and alive.

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Mindful Planning

After the chaos of Christmas it was enlightening to sit down and have a couple of hours to plan - mindfully.

Through reading, talking to people and my own research I've found that mindfulness is a key part of how function and live on a day-to-day basis. 

Loosely, it involves being aware, and of course mindful, of what you are doing and how you are doing it. Without sounding to cliché, mindfulness encompasses living now, and firmly in the present. What has already happened is done and with the lessons learnt in mind it is time to live. 

After taking the time to read about certain Yoga practises and mindfulness I've found they both closely border and complement one another. In a sense that it's easy to forget where you are, what you're doing and how you're really feeling, thus leading Yoga to reengage you and aid you in becoming aware.

So hopefully, in the new year, I will make a concerted effort to stay mindful and keep up with yoga practise. Challenging but realistic goals that will feasibly enrich my health and well being.

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Today Went A Little Like This...

But, I'm hoping for more of this...

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