by hattenburrow | Dec 18, 2017 | Nutrition
Breakfast – Warm oats
Serves: 1
- 1 handful oat flakes
- 200-250ml unsweetened oat milk
- ½ apple
- ½ tbs maca powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp virgin coconut oil
- 1 tbs chia seeds
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbs raspberries
Oats
- Slow release carbohydrate keeping blood sugar in check and provide sustainable energy
- Source of fibre helping fill the stomach giving a feeling of being full with only a small portion
- High in beta-glucans, immune fighting compounds found in other protective foods like mushrooms, which enhance immune function by fighting infection
Maca root powder
- Boosting mood and decreasing anxiety due to its effect on hormonal balancing
- Increasing stamina and energy; however, the reasoning behind this is still unknown. Various studies believe it may be due to its ability to support the adrenal glands and balance blood sugar levels, thus helping release a constant source of energy throughout the day
Cinnamon
- Improves blood sugar balance and appetite control. Balancing blood sugar is highly important for preventing energy slumps, food cravings (specifically for sugar) or irritability
- Improves insulin sensitivity. Insulin is the hormone that regulates metabolism and energy production and transports blood glucose from the blood into cells. Insulin resistance (poor insulin sensitivity) has been associated with metabolic syndrome as well as T2D
Virgin coconut oil
- Holds anti-inflammatory properties
- Source of healthy fats.
Chia seeds
- Source of plant-based protein and fibre
- Healthy fats (alpha-linolenic and linoleic acid), which have anti-inflammatory properties
- High in antioxidants (compounds that protect our cells from damage) specifically vitamin E.
Raspberries
- Rich in antioxidants and other plant compounds that help counteract inflammation and protect cells from damage
Method:
- Place the oats and milk into a pot and allow to cook. Add water or more milk if mixture gets too dry.
- Chop up the apple and place into the pot along with the maca powder, cinnamon, chia seeds and a pinch of salt. Allow to cook on a low heat.
- While the oats are cooking, place the sunflower seeds into a pan with 1/2 tsp of coconut oil and allow to roast. They are ready when they are slightly golden brown.
- Once oats have softened, add the coconut oil and mix in.
- Serve up the oats and place raspberries on top along with the roasted sunflower seeds.
And last but not least – enjoy!
by hattenburrow | Feb 4, 2016 | Nutrition
I came across this recipe whilst looking for a healthier blueberry muffin mix. I love blueberry muffins but usually they’re full of sugar and white flour so I wanted to try something a little different. I changed the recipe adding dried apricots instead of 1 cup of brown sugar I used half and added dried apricots to increase the natural sweetness. I also changed the white flour for brown flour and a cup of oats.
Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup of oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat Greek yoghurt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup of dried apricots
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C
- Line a tray with 12 muffin cases
- In a large bowl mix your dry ingredients
- In another bowl mix your wet ingredients
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry
- Add the blueberries
- Divide the mixture into the cases
- Bake for 18 minutes, remove from the oven and check your muffins by putting a knife through the middle if it comes out clean its done
These muffins are really tasty and will last about three days in a sealed container. As they have yoghurt in them best kept in the fridge. They will freeze too!
by hattenburrow | Jan 26, 2016 | Nutrition
Granola bars are full of slow releasing carbs great to keep you going all day. Sometime I find shop bought bars are quite sickly so I am always on the hunt for a new recipe.
Today the weather was not great for cycling, (although I did get a short training session in) but perfect for baking so I re-created this bar recipe I found to see how good they are.
Ingredients
- 80g butter
- 80g honey
- 40g apricot jam
- 80g dark brown sugar
- 120g jumbo oats
- 30g cashews – chopped
- 30g sultanas
- 30g dried apricots
- 40g mixed seeds
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 190°C. Now line a 20cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper.
2. In a large saucepan melt the butter, honey, jam and sugar together on a medium heat, stirring until dissolved.
3. Bring to the boil and cook for one/two minutes so that the sugar caramelises, making it a sticky sauce.
3. Add the dry ingredients and mix before turning out into your tray.
4. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until set. Once ready just turn it out and leave to cool on a rack, cut into slices while its slight warm.
Tah Dah! Scrummy energy bars fit for long rides, although there is some refined sugar in here a lot of the sugars are natural, coming from fruit so will be released slowly during your training.
Let me know what you think 🙂
