Mother's Day Meal Plan

x- I Love You Mum -x

How can you measure a Mother's love?

We all know Mother's Day is coming up. If you didn't... don't worry - there is still time to get organised! 

This Sunday presents the perfect time for you to show your mum or any other mum out there, just how special she is. We all know that mums do some much for us, giving us the best gifts in the world: their love and their time. Ever since we are born, they share with us the most vital ingredient for our survival; food. From breast milk to  baby or toddler food, in whatever form it may be, one thing is for certain: they always dedicate 100% of their knowledge with us. 
Whether it's learning how to feed you as a baby, or giving you the best type of allergy-friendly food, to learning how to feed a coeliac in between forums and recipe books. 
They may not always get it right, but we all know they try. 
And they try with all their hearts.

So this Mother's Day, why don't we try to give a little bit more than just a shop-bought present? Wouldn't it be nice to treat them with a beautiful meal, prepared by you: their adoring children? I know my mum would absolutely love it!

Think of all that time and love and dedication to present her with a creative, mouth-watering meal - it's a winner for sure!

But who said that delicious and impressive meals had to take forever to make? And who said you need consult millions of recipe books or look at the back of the cupboard for that lost ingredient? We will not stand for any of the hassle!

Let's make our life a little bit easier, without compromising on the result. I invite you to impress your Mum this Sunday with our Mother's Day Meal Plan. 

It's completely Free-From, Healthy, Home-Made and absolutely Delicious!


BREAKFAST
The Sweet Choco Berry Smoothie


LUNCH
Starter: Risotto alla Zucca ( Pumpkin Risotto)
Main Course: Monkfish Spinach Roulette and Honeyed Parsnip Mash
Dessert: Raspberry Sorbet and our timeless Chocolate Brownies
Hot Drink to Finish: Raw Carob Coffee 


DINNER
After such a filling breakfast and hearty but healthy lunch, you won't have much space left by dinner time. However, if there is a tiny gap - then we are here to fill it! Keeping it simple but delicious, we invite you to try our:
Green Vegetable Creme Blend.


May your day be filled with Smiles, Love and Happiness.

Happy Mother's Day to everyone. 

Let's honour all of YOU who put US on this earth, 
because without you, 
we just wouldn't even be here. 

*reaches for tissues*

Sweet Choco Berry Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 Choc Biscuit (Nairns - completely Free-From), 1 banana, 1 handful of bluerries, 1 handful of raspberries , 200ml of almond milk.

How To:

Add everything  to the blender and blend until smooth.

Serve in a glass - bow optional!

These measures may make for a super double smoothie or breakfast for two people. Perfect for any occasion.

Enjoy! xx

Baking Amaranth Yeast-Free Bread

Aren't we all fed up of buying broken, crumbled or dry GF bread in our local supermarkets? I for one am tired of it and of the constant disappointment. Which is why years ago, I converted to corn and rice cakes as my alternative to bread.

The other day, I discovered a recipe for Amaranth yeast-free bread and was amazed. 

So here it is, please let me know how you get on.

Search for snacks and sandwiches ideas on my blog to perfectly compliment your freshly baked Amaranth bread. Enjoy it! x

Ingredients:

3 1/3 cups of amaranth flour
1 cup plus 2tbsp arrowroot powder
3tsp baking soda
¾tsp vitamin C powder (optional)
½tsp of salt
¼cups of applesauce
2tbsp of olive oil
1½ cups of water

How to:

Combine flour, arrowroot, baking soda, vitamin C and salt in a large bowl.

Mix applesauce, oil and water.

Stir into dry ingredients until just blended.

Pour into greased 8 X 4 loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Turn out immediately and cool on a wire rack.

Number of Servings: 14

Happy Baking! x

Interesting Fact: Amaranth’s protein content is about 13 percent, or 26 grams per cup, which is much higher than for most other grains. To compare, a cup of long-grain white rice has just 13 grams of protein.

The Herbal Remedy for Water Retention and a Flatter Belly Around Your Stomach

I love herbal remedies.

They are my favourite kind of self-love.

Here is a fabulous recipe for creating a home-made tea to tackle water retention and, in time, achieve a flatter belly around your stomach.

Drink this cold or hot depending on the season and your mood :)

Enjoy it over ice and with a straw for happy summer days!

If you press a finger on your stomach and then release, does the skin take a little while to go back to its natural colour? If the answer to this is yes, it may be a sign that you have water retention around your stomach. 

Suggested Diet: FreeFrom, moderately high on lean protein, low on carbohydrate, and low on artificial added fats.

Main Herb: Dandelion

Dandelion is a naturally diuretic herb which aids the production of urine and increases positive liver function.

It will remove the water retained in your body as well as general toxines, targeting the 'bloated area' which is usually around your abdominals. 

Dandelion combined with some herbs and spices will help you achieve a lighter and less bloated result, and taste exotic! 

As always, for best results, please combine this tea with exercise. Crunches are a great exercise in combination with this tea.

Ingredients (for 3 cups of tea):
45 drops of Dandelion
5 Cardamom seeds
25 Cinnamon drops
8 Mint leaves
4 pieces of chopped Ginger
800ml of water
2tbsp of Pure Bee Honey (this is optional: add for a sweeter natural taste)

How to:
Add all ingredients to a pot and let boil for 8-10 minutes.
Then remove from hob and sieve through to a tea pot.
You can have up 2-4 cups of this tea per day.

Enjoy! x

Risotto alla Zucca

Here is a simple step-by-step process to making this wonderful dish:

Prepare the pumpkin but cutting it and de-seeding it. 

Pan fry the shallots in oil until brown, then add the rice.

Add the broth until the rice is fully covered.

Add the mashed pumpkin previously cooked in the steamer.

Stir well.

Add the lemon zest.

Ingredients:

Oil, Shallots, Pumpkin, Lemon Zest, Vegetable Stock, Water, White Wine.

How to Cook it:

Stir Fry the chopped up shallot. Add the risotto rice and toast it. Add the white wine, and let it evaporate. Add the broth made with water and vegetable stock until the rice is fully covered.

Leave to simmer. Meanwhile, we need to prepare the pumkin. Start by removing the pumpkin peel and carve out the seeds with a spoon. Cut into medium size bits and cook in your microwave steamer until fully cooked.

If the risotto water starts to be all soaked up by the rice or evaporating, and the rice grain is still hard, you need to add more broth. The result at the end should be of a soft rice grain without any water left in the pan, so add the water slowly and keep stirring to allow for the whole rice grain to absorb the water.

Once the pumpkin is cooked, mash it in a side plate and then add to the risotto pan.

Stir well until everything is cooked and ready. If needed add some salt. At the last minute add the lemon zest.

Once you are happy with the texture, serve immediately and season with some black pepper. Enjoy!

Fresh Sauce Pasta

This is a favourite among us sisters. It is super easy to do. 

Just like the title suggests, the sauce is fresh and doesn't require any cooking. 

Since you are not cooking the sauce, you have to ensure that the ingredients you use are really fresh and of a high quality.

Of course you should always use high quality and fresh ingredients, but the difference here is simple: for a cooked sauce you could use tinned tomatoes. For this sauce, you should only use full flavour tomatoes eg. tomatoes on-the-vine. When the tomatoes remain on their vine (even shop bought ones) they preserve their taste better.

So let's give this a go shall we? It's simple!

Ingredients:

Gluten-Free Penne Pasta, Fresh on-the-vine Tomatoes, Fresh Basil Leaves, Salt, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic, Rainbow Peppercorn.

How to cook it:

Bring a pot of water to boil, add salt and the pasta.

In a mixing jug add chopped tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil and salt. With a blender, blend just long enough to create a sauce texture. Now cut one garlic clove in half and add it to the sauce. Do not blend, simply mix with a spoon so as to infuse the sauce with the garlic.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and put back in the pot, adding the sauce over it. mix vigorously so as to really blend every inch of pasta with the sauce. Serve and add some fresh basil leaves and grounded peppercorn to give it that little bit of extra flavour.

Enjoy! x

Home-Made Fruit Smoothie - Step-by-Step How-To Image Montage

Today I thought I would show you a step-by-step photo montage of how I do my smoothies. Below you will find the usual ingredients and how-to instructions.

Please send me your smoothie images and don't forget to share your thoughts on new recipes and let me in on any of your secret ingredients! Enjoy x 

I personally use Phillips blender.

For this week's smoothie I add 1 Chopped Mango, 75g Raspberries, 1 Chopped Papaya, 2 Kiwis and 1 Banana.

I use the spoon to make sure I carve all the juicy fruit out of the papaya.

Now let's add the 2 Kiwis and 1 Banana.

Next it's time for everyone's favourite secret-but-not-so-secret ingredients: Manuka 5+ Honey (by Rowse Honey), and Bee Pollen Granules (by Comvita).

Now let's add our 200ml of Water.

And here we have it! This week's Home Made Fruit Smoothie. Simple, Nutritious and Delicious. What are you waiting for? Enjoy it!

Ingredients:

1 Mango, 1 Papaya, 75g Rasberries, 2 Kiwis, 1 Banana, 1 tbsp Honey, 1tsp Bee Pollen Granules, 1 tsp Fennel Seeds, 200ml Water.

How to make it:

See images above. Add all the ingredients and blend! Enjoy x

Winter Warmer with Popped Quinoa

This is a gorgeous soup.

 A winner for dinner parties or just on a nice and cold winter evening.

 

Ingredients:

Petit Pois, Green Beans, Fresh Basil, Tomato, Courgettes, Potatoes, Carrots, Oil, Salt, Popped Quinoa (Ready Popped).

How to Cook It:

Add the vegetables to a pot and fill with water until they are fully covered and immersed. Cook on low heat until all vegetables are ready. Blend. Serve and add the popped quinoa as a compliment both flavour and texture wise. Add some extra virgin olive oil and salt to season as preferred. Enjoy!

Salmon Detoxing Soup

Salmon Detox Soup - One of my favourite lunch options!

Ingredients:

Salmon, Broccoli, Green Beans, Spinach Leaves, Mushrooms, Bean Sprouts, Ginger, Rice Noodles, Coconut Milk, Lemongrass, Lime, (and if you can add some chilli, and if you are not intolerant to garlic a tiny bit of red curry paste), Oil, Salt, Brown Sugar.

How to cook:

Drizzle some oil in a pan, and quick fry the Salmon. Then add to a pot with lemongrass, coconut milk, salt, brown sugar (just a tip of tsp), lime and ginger (plus chilli and red curry paste if you can). Separately steam the chopped vegetables. Once cooked, add the vegetables to the pot with the bubbling salmon mix. Cook everything until ready and enjoy!

Home-Made Fruit Smoothie

Delicious Home-Made Fruit Smoothie
I usually have this for breakfast. It's flavoursome and really fills you up with all of its goodness!

Ingredients (For 3 people):

1 Mango, 1 Banana, 10 Blueberries, 1 Kiwi, 1 Peach, 1 tbsp Bee Pollen in Honey Granules, 1 tsp Fennel Seeds, 1 tbsp Honey and 200ml Water.

How to prepare:

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend to perfection.

Enjoy!