Very Berry Smoothie

Hot weather. Frozen smoothie.
That's right, here's one more smoothie recipe for you! Quick to make in the morning, so you can have your refreshing, creamy breakfast on the go with zero effort.
Filled with antioxidants, protein and healthy fats, plus mint will give it a wonderfully refreshing kick. You gotta try this.

Enjoy.x

INGREDIENTS

1 handful mixed frozen berries

1 handful fresh pomegranate

1 small frozen banana (you can omit this if you are looking for lower GI option)

1 large handful fresh mint

Half avocado

1 cup Almond milk 

1tbs cinnamon

1 heaped tbsp protein powder

1tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp ground linseeds (optional, but they would increase the smoothie anti-inflammatory power)

As always, everything goes in the blender. Whizz it up till creamy and enjoy right there and then, or take it away with you to have at work.

Have a fabulous week,

Love,

Foodolina

Peach & Banana Frozen Smoothie

In honour to the summer weather we have been enjoying throughout the weekend, I give you a creamy, cold, delicious smoothie recipe to enjoy for breakfast as the days get warmer.

It's got fruit, protein to keep you going for longer and sources of healthy fats like coconut oil and avocado (which also adds extra creaminess). I also like to add spinach to get some green goodness, but if you are just starting out then stick to the original recipe. If you choose to add linseeds like I do, you will get a nice boost of fibre to keep you tummy regular, and a plant based source of anti-inflammatory action. Not bad ah?

INGREDIENTS
1 small frozen banana
1 fresh peach
1 handful of oats
1 tbsp protein powder
1 tbsp almond butter
1 heaped tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 avocado
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1tbsp ground linseeds (optional)
1 handful fresh spinach (optional)


You know the drill by now. Pop everything in your blender and whizz it up baby!

xxx

Love,

Foodolina

The "Bring Back Summer" Banana- Pineapple anti-inflammatory smoothie

Every now and then I do a Periscope broadcast in my little London Kitchen and the other afternoon I needed a quick snack before starting to study again...
So I decided to film an improvised smoothie recipe spot some anti inflammatory action, as I don't know about you, but here people are starting to sneeze and cough all around me on public transports....
So why not use some anti inflammatory, immune-boosting ingredients to make a delicious drink???

Pineapple contains Bromelain, a group of enzymes that break down protein, known for its anti-inflammatory action.

Turmeric is an ancient Indian spice containing a compound called Curcumin which is not only a powerful antioxidant, but also anti-inflammatory and can help digestion,.

Ground linseeds are a plant source of Omega 3 and contribute to immune, brain and joints health.
They are also a dietary source of phytoestrogens, which can help balance hormone imbalances.

WARNING: This smoothie might bring back memories of summer, the beach, sun and sea...



INGREDIENTS

2 SLICES OF PINEAPPLE
1 FROZEN BANANA
1TBSP GROUND LINSEEDS
1/4 TSP TURMERIC POWDER
1 HANDFUL CASHEW NUTS (to increase protein content)
1 TSP PROTEIN POWDER (all I had left in the house)
1 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT
1CUP ALMOND MILK

Pop everything in your blender and whizz it up baby!!!!

Now pour it in your favourite glass and imagine you're lying on a beach somewhere fabulous.

Enjoy.

xxx

Foodolina

Cacao Strawberry Pancakes

I whipped up these pancakes last week as I needed a filling breakfast that felt naughty but was actually good for me...

They are made with half buckwheat and half brown rice flour which means 1) protein 2) fibre and 3) gluten free goodness..

And because I wanted them to be truly scrumptious... I added cacao and fresh strawberries. Boom! Winning combination!

It doesn't take longer than 5 minutes and these are a great option as a pre workout breakfast, say an hour before or a post workout brunch ( ideally you'd want to eat within half hour of training to help muscle recovery).

So what do you need and how do you make these yummy pancakes?

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

2 tsp baking powder (or use 3 tsp arrow root instead)

1 tbsp ground linseeds ( anti inflammatory plant omega 3 action)

2 tsp cinnamon ( helps balance blood sugar)

2 tbsp raw cacao (antioxidant action and energy fuel)

1tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp honey (or raw honey)

1 egg

1 cup almond or any other unsweetened dairy free milk

1/2 cup sliced strawberries

coconut oil ( I use a cold pressed one from Lucy Bee) for frying in the pan

Toppings

Smooth Almond butter (no added sugar)

a few more sliced strawberries

HOW TO DO IT....

It's very complicated...Pop all the ingredients in a bowl and mix till get a smooth batter, about 30 seconds. I know, are you sweating yet?

Heat up a tablespoon of coconut oil in the pan, then use a ladle and pour a little bit of your mix in, don't fill the ladle to the top, do half otherwise you won't be able to fit many pancakes in at the one time..

When they start to bubble on the top, flip them over and leave for another minute. Place them in your favourite plate, add some more coconut oil if you haven't got much left in the pan and pour more batter till all your mix is gone.

I made these pancakes today as well, and 6 came out  but that's because I made three in the shape of Mickey Mouse head...Yes, 36 years old and that's what makes me happy...

So if you make regular medium sized round pancakes you'll probably get 8 or 10 out of this.
Stack them up and sprinkle with more strawberry slices and swirl around some almond butter too for extra flavour, texture and protein.

I can honestly say they taste delicious and the protein content keeps your tummy fuller for longer!

So there you go, enjoy this guilt-free treat. From me, to you.x

Banana, Cinnamon, Walnut Porridge

Spring is definitely on its way but we've still had some pretty chilly days here in London.
On those windy mornings I like to have a warm comforting breakfast that feels just like a giant hug..
And that's exactly what this simple, quick delicious porridge is like. It takes 5 minutes, it's nutritious and the smell of cinnamon always makes me feel instantly happier. It's the perfect way to start my day.

Oats (I use gluten free ones) are complex carbohydrates that will prevent your blood sugar levels from spiking and then quickly dropping, leading to cravings for sugary snacks.  They are also a source of soluble fibre which will help keep you full for longer and that can also be beneficial if you are interested in losing some weight.

I use Brown Rice milk as I am currently off dairy but you can use regular milk (preferably organic) or almond milk or any other type you might prefer.

Banana is a good source of potassium and it helps sweeten this meal, cinnamon is not only delicious but it's an extra help in balancing blood sugar and it's also anti-bacterial and helps with digestion too.

Walnuts add an extra crunchy texture and are a good source of zinc (helpful in boosting the immune system) and a vegetarian source of Omega 3 essential fatty acids (they help the cells in your body to work more efficiently and they also make your skin look more radiant) which our body does not produce and need to take in from food.

Lately I started adding nut butter (yummy protein anyone?), more specifically, my latest obsession: Biona's Hazelnut Butter which reminds me so much of Nutella (and if you add some cacao powder to it that's exactly what you'll get, only a much healthier version)...

I also add some coconut oil (a saturated fat with a structure called medium chain fatty acids, this type of molecular structure is used instantly for energy rather then be stored as fat in the body) to give me an extra energy boost and help digestion. I love Lucy Bee Organic Coconut Oil and I generally buy a big jar and use half of it in the kitchen for cooking and half is in my bathroom as body lotion as it makes my skin incredibly smooth.

Lastly, I love to add some bee pollen (my favourite one is the Gfm Organic one) to strengthen my immune system and some maca powder (I love the Organic Burst Maca Powder) to improve my stress levels as it works on the adrenal glands (where your stress hormones are made).

Now, remember you DO NOT have to add all these quirky little ingredients if you don't want to but I am a massive foodie mixed with a nutritional therapy student and as I do not drink or smoke, I love to spend my extra cash on these type of foods to give my body lots of love..

Now, after all these information overload...Let's get down to it!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup Brown Rice Milk ( I love the Rude Health one)
1/2 cup oats
1 small banana (sliced)
1tbsp coconut oil
1tsp cinnamon
1tbsp hazelnut butter
1 handful chopped walnuts

OPTIONAL
1tsp maca powder
2tsp bee pollen

Warm up your milk and add your oats, stir and take to a light simmer then add cinnamon, coconut oil and nut butter, mix all together until smooth and creamy.Turn the heat off, pour in your favourite bowl and add your chopped walnuts, maca and bee pollen. Curl on the couch and enjoy..

Love,

Foodolina.x

A creamy smoothie for Ffleur..

I love dedicating recipes to girlfriends I love and who inspire me, it creates a special connection that makes the whole blogging experience much more personal and dear to me.
I met Ffleur through my ex boyfriend turned super best friend Patch. Since i first met her, Flleur has moved back to Wales, met her Prince Charming and together they now have the two most beautiful children I have ever seen. On top of that, she is one of my biggest supporters since i started blogging and that means so much to me. She loves my smoothies so this one is for her.

This is the creamiest smoothie I have ever made and it looks and tastes like a pudding you can have for breakfast which sounds pretty good to me. I have twicked the recipe this morning by adding some extra protein in the form of Tahini (sesame seed paste) and a little antioxidant boost with a sprinkle of cacao nibs (I have been using the fantastic organic Of The Earth Superfoods ones and really like them. They also have really yummy porridges pots to go you should totally try them!). Be aware that cacao nibs are yummy and oh so good for you but they do come from raw cacao, so if you are used to eating milk chocolate, do not expect the same sugary flavour. They are the real deal and can be added to your very homemade trailmix (mmm...new post idea!) or to smoothies and many other recipes.

I believe it's important to add protein to all my meals and snack to help balance my sugar levels and keep my energy going strong  throughout the day and my tummy full and satisfied! Trust me, give it a try.
But enough talk, let's get this recipe down!

INGREDIENTS (MAKES 1 SMOOTHIE JAR)
1 small banana
1/2 frozen banana
1 handful raw almonds
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 full tsp tahini ( I use organic light tahini)
1tsp Organic Burst Maca Powder (at least this the one I use because of its delicious malt like flavour)
1 tsp 1/2 Organic Bee Pollen (make sure you try one grain first to check for possible allergies)
1 vitC capsule (optional)
 vit D3 (optional)
vit B12 (optional)
1 cup Brown Rice Milk (I use Rude Health and love love love all of their products!)
1 tsp cacao nibs

Pop everything in your blender and whizz for a couple of minutes till smooth and creamy...
Pour in your favourite jar and top with bee pollen and cacao nibs!

Have a fantastic Sunday.

Love,

xxx

Foodolina

Leftovers smoothie surprise!

Last week has been a very busy one!

As I knew it was coming, I have managed to prepare my meals in advance and eat really well and healthily all week. No gluten or dairy, plenty of liquids, proteins, good fats and vegetables. then Sunday at uni came.. the night before I didn't manage to get any sleep so I was tired in the morning and craving some starchy food.. Ham and cheese toastie? Sure! Then lunch, all the soups at the cafe were finished and I had to settle for a white falafel wrap.

In a few hours I had managed to pack both gluten and dairy in. 

I wasn't surprised when, half way through the afternoon lecture, I felt sluggish and could barely keep my eyes open but I made it through and that night I also went to the movies and shared popcorn and a coke with a first date..

By 10 pm my energy levels were non existent..

On morning I woke up with my body craving a gigantic glass of water to rehydrate it and a smoothie to nourish it.

 I do love adding bananas to my smoothies as I love the creamy consistency and the potassium boost..Sadly no bananas were available..but I thought there was at least one left? No. Nada. Fine! 

Undefeated, I looked around for leftover yummy and nutritious ingredients I could use.. 

I grabbed some frozen blueberries (TIP: always have frozen fruit in your freezer, easiest thing to pop in your blender and they can often be fresher than fruit in supermarkets, as they are frozen very quickly after they have been picked). I also found a pomegranate I didn't manage to use during the week ( cut pomegranate in half, hold it with the seeds bit laying on top of your palm and spank it with a wooden spoon! Seeds will fall out easily through your fingers and into the blender, while the white bitter bits will stay  in your hands) and used all of its delicious red gems in this smoothie. 

Both blueberries and pomegranate are fantastic beauty foods, packed with antioxidant properties to fight off free radicals in our bodies. pomegranate also contains Ellagic acid which helps fight collagen breakdown and therefore giving it powerful anti aging properties..Blueberries instead, contain phytonutrients such as anthocyanins which are thought to help reduce risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Not too shabby ah?

There was a little peach left as well so I cut it in chunks and popped that in as well, why not?

On top of these delicious fruits I added  some rocket leaves ( remember that bitter leaves help liver detoxification processes) which, I assure you, you will not be able to taste so remember this as a good way to add some powerful vegetables into your diet.

Now it was time to add all my cupboard staples, vitamin c ( antioxidant and helps collagen production), vitamin D3 ( vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium my friends so get out in the sun any chance you get and add that baby into your meals!), I use it instead of vitamin D as studies have found that the D3 form is absorbed better by the body. Now, for all of you out there who are scared of fats, you need fat into your diet!!!Good fats!! example: vitamin D is fat soluble so it means that my body needs to have fat in order to absorb it. Which is why I also added  1tbsp of coconut oil into this wonder smoothie. 

Coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acid which the body does not store as fat but uses straight away for energy, baby! It tastes insanely good. There's a thousand uses for coconut oil but more about that in a future post. I added 1 tbsp of chia seeds, so small and yet these seeds are packed with proteins, antioxidants, omega3 and fibre. I opened my probiotic capsule and poured the powder in as well to help the good bacteria in my gut. Finally, 1 tsp of vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp of Organic Burst maca powder, helpful to restore your adrenal glands which are often battered by releasing too many stress hormones, so perfect for me now that I'm back in school. I chose to use almond milk to add even more protein and blended everything together.

1 minute and this beauty powerhouse was ready!

Extra tip: add a 4-6 almonds or your favourite type of nut to increase protein content.

PS: the supplements I added are well tolerated by my body but please do check with your gp or practitioner before taking supplements, especially if you are currently taking drugs for any specific health conditions.

So, to recap:

Seeds of 1 pomegranate

1 cup of blueberries 

1 small peach in chunks

A handful of rocket leaves

1 tbsp coconut oil

1tbsp chia seeds

1tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp maca powder ( optional)

1probiotic capsule( optional)

1vit c capsule ( optional)

1 vit D3 drop ( optional) 

Pop everything in your blender and whizz it up, baby! 

Lloyd's favourite Muffins

I wanted to write this post quickly as my lovely friend Lloyd saw the picture of these beauties on my facebook page and asked how to make them. I am of course very happy to oblige :)))

I had made them as my mother is visiting and she was craving gluten free muffins the night before, so as soon as I woke up,  I headed to kitchen and baked these yummy muffins in under 25 minutes. 

The original recipe is from a wonderful blog called Elana's Pantry, which is full of delicious gluten free recipes like this one. I just changed a few things around, added some more and gave it a little Foodolina's spin! 

Almond Flour Peach Muffins 

1 cup almond flour

2 large eggs

1 tbsp coconut palm sugar

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1tbsp ground flaxseeds ( optional) 

1 peach sliced thin ( some of my slices broke so they ended up being smaller) 

1tsp cinnamon 

Little tip: you can use your favourite fruit instead of peaches, I'll be making apple cinnamon and raisins ones today!

Grab two bowls, in one you mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon and flaxseed and in the other one you mix sugar, apple cider vinegar, eggs. Then you pop the dry ingredients in the wet ones and mix again while adding your peaches ( keep 4 slices to put on top of the muffins, to make them look extra pretty!).

Line a muffin tray with paper cups and put a scoop of the mixture in each one. 

My suggestion is just be careful not to have too much peaches on the bottom otherwise it'll be too soggy. And nobody likes a soggy bottom...
Add the peach slices you saved on top of each muffin and finally, sprinkle a little more cinnamon.

Place the tray in the oven and bake at 180c, 350 F for 15 minutes or until they become slightly golden on top.
Take them out and leave the about 20 minutes to cool down before stuffing your cute face with them! Enjoy!xxxxx

Purple Smoothie Delight

School is out and summer is in baby!

I finally did my physiology exam yesterday, preparing for it has been hard and it drained me both mentally and physically even though I loved everything I was learning. So now it's time to recharge my batteries, gain some of the weight I lost from too much uni stress and just relax and focus on myself and everything I love!!!

So let's start with the prettiest purple smoothie recipe. Purple is my favourite colour but this is not the only reason why I love this smoothie...It's really tasty, it's fresh and has proteins, antioxidants and good fats. It's a great way to start your day! Most of all, it's very quick to make which is key for me and why I love smoothies so much, you just pop all the ingredients in your blender (best money I ever spent) and in one minute you're ready to go.

INGREDIENTS

1 handful almonds

1 cup brown rice milk or soy milk ( make sure they are unsweetened, I use Rude Health Brown Rice Milk)

1 cup frozen berries (mine was a mix of blueberries and strawberries)

1 probiotic capsule (open it up and pour the powder in )

1tsp vanilla extract

1tbsp chia seeds

1tbsp coconut oil ( I use Lucy Bee)

1 date ( put in hot water while you prepare the other ingredients, this way it'll be softer and plumper, remember to remove the seed!)

OPTIONAL: add 1 handful of spinach or kale for extra calcium and magnesium.

As I said before, all you have to do is add the ingredients to the blender and whizz for a minute. Enjoy!

The Best Green Smoothie

This past week it's been really hot and I had a lot of long shifts at work so I had to make sure I had lots of energy to start the day with every single morning.
As soon as I wake up, before I do anything else, I always have a cup of hot water and lemon to help cleanse my body and boost my immune system.
And because on my birthday I got myself a super sexy new blender, I now use it every single morning to make some gorgeous green smoothies with all the organic vegetables I get from the Farmers Market on Sundays ( I'm lucky enough to have Brixton's Farmers Market near my house).
As it's super quick to make, I usually prepare it before I get out, pour it into my Thermos and take it to work to drink throughout the morning.
So here's the recipe for this greenelicious breakfast that has filled my belly with happiness for this whole past week!

THE BEST GREEN SMOOTHIE RECIPE
1 Apple, peeled and cut in quarters
1 Kiwi, peeled
1/4 of a Large cucumber, peeled
1 large handful of kale or spinach
a small handful of mint
the juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp of Ground Flaxseed (for some omega3 and fiber goodness)
1/2 cup of water

Just put all ingredients in your blender, whizz it up and drink!