Banana and blueberry muffins - Is poor blood sugar balance adding to your tantrum woes?

These muffins are the perfect family friendly snack and are not only free of sugar but they are nutrient dense. I made these with my favourite little baker and as you can see he was very keen to get stuck in so the photo needed to be quick.

They are gluten and dairy free too so should fit with most eating requirements. I have used a mix of buckwheat flour and gram flour. Gram flour is higher in terms of protein content with 22% over 13% in buckwheat (In comparison to 7% in normal white flour). Protein is essential for a slow release of energy and balancing blood sugar levels.

There is so much in the press about reducing sugar for children and it is really important but also getting them to eat real foods. Sugar not only adds to cavities in the teeth but moods too.

As I talk about in my ebook but stable blood sugar levels are important for adults and children alike. When we have high levels of sugar in our diet, then a young child’s body can’t process this and maintain balance. They have a sharp rise in glucose level, which is followed by a dramatic fall when this wears off. This cycle can mirror the hyperactivity or tantrums that we see as their energy goes up and down.

Eliminating sugar from their diet could reduce the frequency of these tantrums in addition to looking at other factors that are at play including exercise, sleep and television.

Banana and blueberry muffins

150g buckwheat flour

75g gram flour

2 eggs

1 tsp gluten free baking powder

½ tsp gluten free bicarbonate soda

pinch Himalayan salt

1 tsp cinnamon

100 ml hazelnut milk

75ml olive oil

150g blueberries

2 bananas

Method

1.     Preheat over to 180 degrees and grease muffin tin with oil or use reusable silicon muffin holders and no need.

2.     Sift all the powdered ingredients together in a bowl.

3.     In a separate bowl beat the eggs and add in the olive oil and milk. Add in the mashed banana and whisk for 30 seconds.

4.     Then mix into the powdered ingredients to form a paste.

5.     Fold in the blueberries.

6.     Spoon the mixture into muffin cups and bake for 15-2 minutes or until risen and firm to touch.

7.     Place on wire rack to cool. 

Broad Bean Dip

So, I usually say most of my meals never take long to prepare and I always opt for hassle free nutrient dense food but the below may be an exception.

Every week we have a Riverford vegetable box delivered and this is something that I started early on in my health journey. They are organic in season vegetables which is so important.

At my Endometriosis talk last week at the Royal Society of Medicine I talked about reducing our exposure to these chemicals and it is particularly important for those with oestrogen dominant conditions such as endometriosis. When we eat food covered in pesticides, these chemicals are perceived as xenoestrogens in the body and thus mimic the action of oestrogen, adding to that overall load, which therapeutically we are looking to reduce.

One of the reservations people have around organic is often the cost and this is where buying in season really makes a difference. Blueberries are a great example of this as currently you can buy organic for a round £2-2.50 as they are in season but the price in winter shoots up to £4. In season, organic vegetables aren’t actually that expense and a vegetable box for the family, with 8 different types of vegetables is starts at £14.

So although I wouldn’t have put the broad beans in my supermarket trolley, they came with Riverford and it pushed me outside my comfort zone and to try something new. Try the recipe and see if you agree with me, that it was worth the effort…

Broad bean Dip

Ingredients

Broad beans

½ avocado

1 tbsp tahini

2 garlic cloves - crushed

5 tbsp olive oil

Himalayan Salt

Black pepper

Method

1.     Pod the broad beans and then boil for 5 minutes.

2.     Once boiled you want to double pod and the outer shell should easily come away with your fingers – this makes a huge difference to the flavour.

3.     Add all of the above into your food processor and blitz for 30 seconds. 

Broccoli Rice

Broccoli, we’ve known for a long time that they are a super food with so many health benefits but a new study has revealed that the sulphoraphane in broccoli can support blood sugar management in diabetes. “We have investigated the mechanism and sulphoraphane targets the critical disease process.” Anders Rosengren commented.

If you suffer with diabetes then having this food in your diet would be beneficial. Insulin sensitivity is programmed through our genes and having a genetic SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) on this may mean you have a higher chance, if not following the right diet and lifestyle of being diagnosed with diabetes. I see lots of people in clinic who have this SNP or the genes for high cholesterol and they are amazed that we can have such positive results through our diet.

I have diabetes in the family and a SNP on my insulin sensitivity gene so it is important that I manage this through my diet. My blood glucose and HbA1c levels remain at a good level but on the wrong diet these could quickly be pushed out.

One of the key areas to managing this is adding lots of good quality vegetables to your diet and this broccoli rice is a great way to do that. You can add to most things and we typically use it as a rice alternative when having chili or curry’s or add to salads.

Let me know what you think.

Broccoli Rice

1 broccoli

Olive oil

Method

1.     Cut the florets off to individual pieces and steam for 4 minutes

2.     Add to food processor and blitz for 5 seconds

3.     I drizzle with olive oil as you can never have too many antioxidants. 

Spicy Butter Bean burgers

These are a firm favourite in our house and great now we are going into BBQ season as a meat free alternative. They are vegan and so delicious.

Butter beans, aka lima beans, are a great source of cholesterol lowering fibre. The fibre is also great for managing blood sugar fluctuations, as they prevent blood sugars spiking too quickly (download my e-book for more information on this).

These are fully vegan and do contain protein but for a full protein serve with some whole grains, such as rice and plenty of salad.

These beans are rich in molybdenum which assists in the detoxification of substances like sulfites, copper and alcohol, and it also helps the body to excrete protein breakdown products such as uric acid and petrochemicals.

Ingredients

660g Large butter beans (I use Navarrico)

2 red onions finely sliced

1 carrot – grated

2 cloves of garlic – crushed

2 tbsp tomato puree

2 tsp tamari sauce

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp coconut oil

Method

1.     Sweat the onions for 2/3 minutes

2.     Add the garlic, paprika, cumin and a splash of water to the pan, mix. Add in the grated carrot and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes

3.     Mash beans in a separate pan.

4.     Add to the beans the tomato puree, mustard, tamari and mix well.

5.     Add the vegetables to the pan and mix well.

6.     Season to taste with Himalayan salt and pepper

7.     Make burger patties from the mixture and heat a spate frying pan with coconut oil

8.     Fry the burgers, they will take roughly 5 minutes each side.

9.     Serve with a large salad. 

Paleo Granola

This is seriously tasty so I thought it would be rude not to share the recipe. It is packed full of protein from the nuts so a great start to the morning or post exercise snack. Brazil nuts are rich in selenium and therefore great for supporting the thyroid. Pecan nuts are high in pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5), which is essential for our adrenal glands and if we are feeling stressed.

If I’m having this for breakfast, I mix with some soaked nuts so it isn’t too sweet. I’ve avoided adding the dried fruit in the recipe as I like to minimise sugar in the morning. Soaking dried fruit over night, reduces the sugar content but also stops them sticking to your teeth. Dentists have reported a rise in cavities with children eating raisons as they are high fructose and they get stuck in between their teeth. 

Anyway enjoy and if you are on Instagram, tag me in your pictures @rp_nutrition

Ingredients

50g Brazil nuts

50g almonds

70g pecans

60g pumpkin seeds

2 tsp honey

1 egg white

Method

1.     Preheat over to gas mark 3/170 °

2.     Chop the nuts into smaller pieces and then add to a large bowl with the pumpkin seeds

3.     Add the egg white and honey and mix together

4.     Place mixture on baking tray and squish together to make little clusters

5.     Cook for 15minutes and then remove and allow to cool.

6.     Store in an airtight container. 

Carrot Waffles

These are so quick to make and a good way to increase your vegetables in your breakfast if you don’t have any. Carrots are one of the sweeter vegetables so it gives it a great flavour. These are packed with protein so can be a good post workout breakfast or lunch.

These are perfect for packed lunches and can be prepped in the morning and carry well. As you can see from below, this is a regular in my son’s lunchbox and a great way to sneak some carrots in as he is insistent that he doesn’t like them!

I’ve talked a lot about the health benefits of eggs before and carrots are a great source of nutrient too. They are fibre rich (12%) and high in vitamin A, that is great for eyesight (the myth that you could see in the dark with these came from some sound background) but also repair in the body.

Carrot Waffles

1 carrot grated

2 eggs

1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I use pea protein from Nuzest)

splash almond milk (rough 20 ml)

Method

1-    Preheat oven to 180

2-    Add all of the ingredients to a nutri bullet or similar blender and blitz

3-    Cook in oven for roughly 10 minutes or until the top has crisped over. Alternatively, you could use waffle maker but I personally like these silicon waffle baking moulds. 

Improve your Sleep? Try my Walnut Super Green Paste

This super greens walnut paste is sooo good and perfect to offset those easter eggs. Full of detoxifying herbs and spinach, with some lovely in season wild garlic leaves. I made this to use up some spinach but it’s a great one to have in the freezer and can be added to pasta, so even when in a rush you can offer something nourishing. It is also a great way to add herbs and vegetables to your breakfast. I had on some Organic paleo bread this morning with eggs, full of protein and phytonutrients.

Walnuts give this an even better nutritional composition as they provide protein, healthy fats, including omega 3’s, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

They are rich in the protein l-arginine and therefore great for the cardiovascular system so anyone with family history of this would do well to add in to their diet.

They are rich in vitamin E, folate, omega 3 fats making them great food for brain health. Interestingly a study in 2005 showed that in rat models they increased melatonin levels three-fold, so anyone struggling with insomnia or sleep would benefit in having these in their diet. Melatonin is the hormone responsible for regulating and inducing sleep and is produced in the darkness. Interestingly having white or blue based lights in the bedroom inhibit melatonin, so should be avoided especially in children’s bedrooms.

Walnut Super Green Paste

100g walnuts

½ cup parsley

1 cup Basel

½ cup wild garlic

2 cups spinach

Juice of 1 lemon

6 tablespoons of olive oil

Method

1-    Mill the walnuts in the nutri bullet/blender

2-    Add all of the greens to the blender with the lemon juice and mix for 20 seconds

3-    Mix the walnuts and olive oil to the paste and blender for further 20 seconds, until pesto like consistency

4-    Ready to serve

5-    I then put the leftovers between some folder baking parchment paper and stuck in the freezer for later use. Just break off  what you need. 

Almond pancakes

So these paleo pancakes are perfect for pancake day but outside that, we have them quite often for breakfast or lunch. Great for children and you can get creative making them into shapes. The flour is buckwheat, which is a pseudo-grain and the seed of broadleaf plants instead of grasses, which cereals come from. The pancakes are gluten and dairy free but packed full of fibre, protein, omega 3’s and those essential B vitamin’s for energy.

pancakes

Almond pancakes

400ml almond milk

large handful greens (watercress or rocket)

60g buckwheat flour

30g ground flax seeds

4 eggs 1 tsp cinnamon

1 pinch baking powder (gluten free)

Ghee (for frying)

Method 1. Whisk the greens and almond milk together in blender and then add to bowl, adding the 4 eggs and mixing 2. Add the powdered ingredients and whisk, until forms a smooth consistency 3. Heat your saucepan on a high heat, adding a small amount of ghee or coconut oil if dairy free. 4. Add the pancake mixture and cook for a couple of minutes each side or until they have a firm, pancake consistency. 5. Serve hot or cold if on the run. Kids seem to love these cut into shapes.

Courgette Brownies

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These are grain free and contain vegetables, with the courgettes making an appearance., although you would never know! I personally think these taste just as good as the flour version and with the addition of the dark chocolate they feel like a treat. Dark chocolate contains fibre, essential for prop bowel movements and is high in Manganese, Copper and Magnesium, so it really is good for us.

The refined grans have been replaced with almonds and tahini, for extra protein and nutrients. Tahini is made from sesame seeds and are a good source of phytoestrogens, that can naturally displace aggressive estrogens and thus help with hormone balance.

Ingredients

120g almond butter

80g tahini

140g dark chocolate,

70+ % cocoa solids

3 eggs

2 courgettes, grated

60g ground almonds

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

pinch cinnamon

Method

1- Preheat the oven to 180 C

2- Mix the nut butter, tahini and chocolate together in a saucepan over a low heat, allowing the chocolate to melt.

3- In your food processor add the remaining ingredients and mix. Then add in the chocolate sauce and re blend until it forms a smooth consistency.

4- Grease and line a square baking tin with baking parchment and spoon the mixture in.

5- Bake for 25 minutes, until it is firm on top.

6- Transfer to baking tray and allow to cool. These last for 2/3 days but perfect for freezing too.

Hot and Sour Salmon

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So I recently completed a mini cooking course at Leith’s to really get some good technique behind my cooking. We learnt a variety of things including some good knive skills, boning a chicken and filleting a fish… quite tricky actually! There was a real focus on eating well but being economical about this. For example, buying a whole organic chicken and freezing in portion sizes is much, as much cheaper than buying the chicken breasts separately. It’s all in the preparation and it makes cooking from scratch so much easier. Below are some of the creations we made on the fish week, if you haven't already seen on my instagram profile (@beccanutrition) ..

So I have been much more creative in the kitchen since and this is one of my new favourites that I created…

Hot and Sour Salmon

salmon and sesame seeds

Serves 4

Ingrediants

4 pieces of wild salmon

2 limes

4 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp mustard seeds

4 tablespoons sesame seeds

Pinch crushed chilli’s

Method

1. Heat the over to 190

2. Finely zest the limes and mix the lime zest with the juice of the limes., Dijon mustard and mustard seeds. Add the chilli if desired.

3. Place the salmon skin side down on a lightly oiled baking tray and add the mixture on the top. Once this is completed, top with sesame seeds.

4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the salmon is opaque and cooked.

5. Delicious served with a salad as above

Health benefits of Salmon: Salmon is rich in omega 3, which is an essential fatty acid. Essential fats aren’t made by the body and we need them in our diet to meet our bodies needs. Omega 3’s are important for brain health and anti-inflammatory. Make sure to buy wild over farmed salmon, due to less toxins.

Spirulina Gluten Free Pancake

Happy Pancake Day! So after saying to my husband last night that I wasn’t going to do any pancakes, after having a look on social media this morning I had changed my mind. Plus, I wanted to come up with a good gluten and dairy free option that provides a good breakfast option to get you moving.

So here it is… This took a few attempts as I don’t have the best pancake flipping skills but even if they didn’t turn out perfectly shaped they tasted damn good.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 large eggs, at room temperature

400ml coconut milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey

60 rice flour

1 tablespoon matcha powder

1 tablespoon spirulina

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon finely ground sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat your pan over a medium-low heat.

2. Beat the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer, if using a whisk do it on low speed, until frothy.

3. Mix in the coconut milk, vanilla and honey.

4. In a small bowl, mix together the coconut flour, baking soda, salt, matcha powder, spirulina and cinnamon.

5. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.

6. Then add the remaining dry mixture and beat at medium another minute or two, or until the coconut flour is completely mixed into the batter.

7. Grease the heated pan with coconut oil.

8. Spoon the batter onto the pan to create pancakes. I like them relatively thin but this does make them hard to flip so I would suggest around 1 inch to prevent this.

9. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the pancakes are bubbling and well set, then flip and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary.

Serve hot or you can freeze the prepared pancakes and reheat them later.

Quinoa and Oat Muffins

So I have promised a few mums this recipe for a while. I love these muffins, they are so easy to make and a great one if you need food on the go with kids. We always take a batch when we are flying and saves so relying on the not so nutritious plane food. As you can see from the picture I also managed to rustle up another batch hassle free while we were away. Quinoa is a complete protein, meaning it has all the 9 essential amino acids, which makes them a perfect option. They are also gluten and dairy free.

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Ingredients

70g Whole oats

70g Cooked quinoa

1 Eggs

75ml macadamia milk (See nut milk recipes for this)

1 bananas

½ tsp Gluten-Free Baking powder

Pinch Gluten-free baking soda

50g cup chia seeds

3 tbsp honey or maple syrup

Method

1. Put all the ingredients in your food processer and mix it up, for around 30 seconds to 1 minute. It should be a nice slightly runny texture afterwards.

2. Pour the mixture into well greased muffin cupcakes and this recipe should give you roughly 12 muffins.

3. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

4. Delicious hot or cold!

Bone Broth – New Year, New You

bones

I provided some weight loss tips in my last post, and mentioned that we should all be making some delicious bone broth. Given Christmas is the season of the turkey, the carcass of this festive bird is perfect for making a really nutritional broth, but any other meat bones can be used.

The run up to Christmas usually involves lots of socialising, drinking and generally trying to fit all your work in so you can enjoy a nice Christmas break. Our bodies end up running on adrenaline and then when we finally stop it can all catch up with us.

Bones hold a lot of nourishing minerals, and by boiling them we get to have that in a lovely broth. There is a reason why traditional chicken soup was given when you are ill, as traditionally it would be made by boiling those bones and this stock would provide the base. The nutrients in broth support the immune system so that you make a speedy recovery.

It is also packed with collagen, which helps the body burn fat and build muscle. And it is great at anti-aging, much better than Botox and actually provides long lasting results! As we age, we lose collagen and that causes the skin to lose its elasticity and becomes thinner, causing wrinkles. Using the expensive anti-aging creams do not help to the same degree as it is difficult for your skin to absorb. The collagen in bone broth has already been broken down in the cooking process and is easy to digest, giving you that youthful boost!

Now, if we look at the packaged Chicken soups on the market then you are definitely not getting those nutrients. I checked out the Heinz version for this post and it actually only contains 3% chicken and a whole range of other undesirable ingredients including cornflour, vegetable oil, wheat flour and skimmed milk.

You can simply warm up the broth and drink from a mug (as I do!), or use it as a stock and add it to fresh vegetables and chicken/turkey for a fresh soup, or to stews and casseroles to add a rich and delicious base to the sauce. I sneak it into my son’s food to give him an immune boost over the winter months.

Turkey Bone Broth

Turkey carcuss and bones

1-2 turkey thighs or drumsticks (if leftover)

¼–½ cup apple cider vinegar, depending on the size of the pot

Purified water to just cover the bones and meat in the pot

2–4 carrots, scrubbed and roughly chopped

3 or 4 ribs organic celery, including leafy part, roughly chopped

1 onion, cut into large chunks

1–2 whole cloves garlic

2 teaspoons peppercorns

Directions:

1. Place all the bones and meat in a slow cooker or large stockpot. Add the vinegar and enough purified water to cover everything by 1 inch. Cover the pot and bring to simmer over medium heat.

1. Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and peppercorns and reduce the heat down. You want the broth to barely simmer. Cook for at least 6 hours and up to 8, adding water as needed to ensure the bones are always covered with water. (You may have to add water during the cooking process.)

1. When the broth is done, turn off the cooker or remove the pot from the heat. Using tongs and/or a large slotted spoon, remove all the bones and meat. Pour the broth through a fine mesh sieve.

1. Let cool on the counter and refrigerate within 1 hour. You can skim off the fat easily after the broth is chilled, if desired. When chilled, the broth should be very thick, almost jelly like. The broth will keep for 5 days in the refrigerator and 3 or more months in your freezer.

Turmeric Tea - Golden Milk

So today is the last dairy free milk alternative and I hope you have enjoyed the series. These milks can be used from anything to adding to your tea, using in your breakfast or making a delicious shake with them providing the protein and lovely creamy texture. As you can see from the week, the method is always the same so you can be creative as you like and this is just a sample of my favourites. The most important think is have FUN with it as being healthy doesn’t have to be boring.

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I’m a big fan of almond milk too and a glass in the evening with a dash of turmeric is high in tryptophan, that is a pre cursor to melatonin, which is our sleep hormone.

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Turmeric Tea

200g Almonds

600ml of filtered water

2 tablespoons turmeric tea

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon raw honey or maple syrup or to taste

Pinch of black pepper (increases absorption)

Tiny piece of fresh, peeled ginger root or ¼ tsp ginger powder

Method

1- Soak the nuts overnight in a covered container

2- Place the almonds and water in the blender to make the almond milk.

3- Strain through a muslin bag or fine sieve.

4- Add 1 cup or amount desired for tea into the blender with rest of ingrediants and blend until smooth

5- I then heat on the hob for 3-5 minutes and have it as a nice warm evening drink. Drink immediately.

Health benefits of Almonds: So almonds, as with the other nuts that we have mentioned this week, are great for the heart. They contain vitamin E that is an important antioxidant for the skin. It can protect your skin from UV light and vitamin E is important for anti-aging. Increasing vitamin E in food or through supplements and you should notice a difference in your skin in approximately 7 days.

Health benefits of Turmeric: Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. There has recently been a study conducted that added turmeric to moisturizing cream and they found that this significantly reduced fine lines, facial spots and wrinkles. FYI – they did purify the turmeric first and if doing at home be cautious with how much you add so your skin doesn’t end up the colour of turmeric!

Crazy about Cashews!

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So I’m back with nuts today and what better ones than the delicious cashew nuts… yummy! Similar to the macadamia nut in texture and it makes a lovely bowl of creamy porridge, as you can see below.

Cashew Nut Milk

200g Cashews

600ml of filtered water

Method

1- Soak the nuts overnight in a covered container

2- Place all the ingredients in a blender and process on high until smooth

3- Strain through a muslin bag or fine sieve. You don’t have to do this and gives a fuller texture but will not be as smooth with the pulp in this.

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Health benefits of Cashew Nuts: Cashew nuts are rich in many minerals including copper, iron, manganese magnesium, phosphorous, selenium and zinc. Having a few cashew nuts per day in the diet can help prevent deficiencies in these essential nutrients, which are co-factors for many enzymes in the body promoting healthy growth and development.

Similar to other nuts they are high in the “heart friendly” monounsaturated-fatty acids, that research has shown help reduce the harmful LDL cholesterol, while raising the beneficial HDL cholesterol. Overall this contributes to a healthy lipid profile and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

Healthy Hemp

So dairy free milk doesn’t have to contain nuts. There are plenty of options that can all be created at home including rice, oat or hemp milk. Similar to nut milks that are shop bought, they can contain lots of emulsifiers and sweeteners so making your own really is the best option. So today I am going to look at hemp milk, which is made from the seeds of the hemp plant. As many know this is part of the cannabis sativa family and I first wanted to highlight the differences between hemp and marijuana, as I am definitely not recommending this drink for people to get high! The main difference is the THC content, which is one of the most well known cannabinoids in cannabis. THC is credited with causing the marijuana high and hemp seeds actually contain a minimal amount of this psychoactive chemical. Most countries have the THC maximum level set at 0.3% for hemp. Additionally it is high in a compound called CBD, which actually reduces the effects of THC.

Hemp seeds are nutritional powerhouses, with each seed containing approximately 44% oil, 33% protein and 12% fiber. They are packed with micronutrients, vitamins, minerals and phytosterols.

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Hemp Milk

2 cups water

½ cup shelled hemp seeds

Optional 3 dates – if you really do need a bit of natural sweetness then add these to your milk

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method

1- Place all the ingredients in a blender and process on high until smooth

2- Strain through a muslin bag or fine sieve. You don’t have to do this and gives a fuller texture with the fiber of the hemp seeds.

Health benefits of Hemp: Hemp seeds are a great source of all the good fats that we need in our diet including omega 3 and 6. These are found in a better ratio in hemp seeds in comparison to other oils at 1:3. In addition to these fats it also contains Gamma Linoleic Acid (GLA) and stearidonic acid (SDA). These are considered “super” polyunsaturated fatty acids and have been shown to relieve symptoms of certain skin diseases including dermatitis.

In addition to these fats, it contains all known proteins and is high in many vitamins and minerals including Vitamins A, E, B12, folic acid, magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium. So we can see that this really is a food having in the diet and warrants the “nutritional powerhouse” label.

Nut Milks

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After spending a week in Italy, they are BIG fans of all things dairy including lots of cheese and ice cream. I was pleased to see some dairy and gluten free ice cream shops, using rice or soy instead. With so many people noticing intolerances or allergies to dairy products the range of free from products is ever increasing. Milk alternatives, such as nut milks, have been well stocked for a long time but what is actually in them?!

Well in many the number 1 ingredient after water is sugar, with a 200ml glass containing 6g of sugar, in some cases. If you have watched Jamie Oliver’s Sugar Manifesto then we all know the importance of reducing the sugar in our diets and waking up to those hidden sugars. See below for the recommended guidelines for children:

• Children aged 4 to 6 should have no more than 19g or 5 teaspoons of free sugars per day

• Children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 24g or 6 teaspoons of free sugars per day

• Children aged 11 years and upwards, as well as adults, should have no more than 30g or 7 teaspoons of free sugar per day

The second surprising factor is that Almond Milk can contain as little as 2% in almonds. As they need to retain the shelf life of these products many contain stabilisers and emulsifiers.

So with this information it isn’t surprising that many people are turning to make there own and it really is simple. So what do you need:

• Stainless steel air tight container to store

• Fine Sieve or muslin bag (I use the sieve)

So this week I will look at different nut milk recipes and share them with you I have to say the homemade ones are much creamier and taste delicious, far better than the shop bought ones, with the added benefit of being good for you.

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Walnut Milk

200g walnuts

600ml of filtered water

Optional 3 dates – if you really do need a bit of natural sweetness then add these to your milk.

Method

1- Soak the nuts overnight in a covered container

2- Place all the ingredients in a blender and process on high until smooth

3- Strain through a muslin bag or fine sieve.

4- The remaining pulp can be used in smoothies, added to porridge or used in homemade granola. If you don’t have time to use straight away then you can always freeze.

The nut milk will keep up to 3 days if kept in an air tight container in the fridge.

Health benefits of Walnuts: Well there are so many and I will focus on just a few which stand out to me! Walnuts are great for brain health and contain several neuroprotective compounds including vitamin E, omega 3 fats, folate, melatonin and antioxidants. They also contain l-arginine that is great for heart health.

Broccoli and Spinach Omlette

So eggs are a great source of protein, in addition to being a low-cost meal option, full of goodness. My son isn’t a fan of eggs but adding in the banana really disguises that but he is still getting all the health benefits. This is quick to make and if we are in a rush is a great one, instead of opting for sandwiches. For those without kids this could be a great morning kick start or a quick lunch/dinner if short on time with a nice rocket salad.

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Broccoli and Spinach Omlette

2 Eggs

1 small Banana

4 thin spliced broccoli florets

Handful spinach finely chopped

1 teaspoon ghee

Ingredients

1. Melt coconut butter or ghee over a low heat in a frying pan

2. Beat the eggs in a bowl and mash the banana with a fork and add to the eggs

3. Mix in the spinach and broccoli, both finely chopped

4. Add the egg mixture to the pan and turn up to a medium heat. Leave to cook for a few minutes until the bottom looks to have firmed

5. Transfer to the grill on a medium heat to finish cooking the top side, this should take roughly a couple of minutes.

Health benefits of Eggs: Eggs are a great source (plus cheap source) of high-quality protein, which is vital for us all. Eggs also contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which help prevent macular degeneration (a leading cause of blindness). In addition, they’re a good source of vitamin A, vitamin D, riboflavin, iron, zinc, folate, phosphorus, and vitamins B6 and B12. So to summarise, nobody can go wrong with eggs.

Eggs did get some bad press in terms of raising cholesterol levels but studies have shown this not to be the case. One recent study found that eating eggs leads to a higher level of HDL (which is the “good” cholesterol) and beneficial changes in LDL (the “bad” cholesterol).