Choc Cross Buns! Guilt-Free Ones!

Easter is upon us and the naughty Easter Bunny is out there threatening to unravel all of our hard work!

It feels like Christmas was just last week. We’ve just got back into our healthy eating routines and we’re training hard again, and just like that Easter is around the corner. Hot cross buns are in our face at the supermarket checkouts and so is all of the chocolate. Celebrations with family and friends are about to happen again and/or holidays away. Nothing to complain about really. It’s just that we really want to stay on track with our health and fitness goals. And all of the festivities can seem like a big bundle of threats to our healthy routine.

Fear Not! Wendy has a guilt-free Hot Cross Bun Recipe for us….. with Chocolate too!

Make a batch of these bad boys for your Easter holidays and you won’t feel like you are missing out on the real thing. Also, please check out last years Easter Blog for a fruit loaf recipe and a Carmel slice recipe. Yum Yum! Some extra yummy treats for your holiday weekend.

Choc Cross Buns

Makes 8

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups almond meal

• 3 tbsp coconut flour

• 1.5 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp sea salt1

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 2 tbsp mixed spice

• Zest of 1 small orange

• 3 tbsp stevia or xylitol

• 3 tbsp melted coconut oil

• 2 tbsp honey

• 3 eggs (2 for the mixture, 1 for glazing)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup raisins

• 1/4 cup dark chocolate, melted

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).

• Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

• Combine the almond meal, coconut flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, mixed spice, orange zest and sweetner in a medium bowl, stirring well to remove any lumps.

• In another bowl whisk together the coconut oil, honey, 2 eggs and vanilla in a jug.

• Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well.

• Add the raisins and stir to combine.

• Roll 1/4 cup worth of mixture into a bun shape and add to baking tray. Repeat with rest of mixture.

• Whisk remaining egg and using a pastry brush, brush each bun with a little egg to glaze.

• Add to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked through.

• Remove from oven and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes before piping a cross on each bun with the melted dark chocolate.

• Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl over a boiling sucepan.

• Add the chocolate to a snaplock bag and then cut off a tiny corner, then put the pipe with the chocolate onto the bun.

Happy Holidays. Try to avoid that sneaky Easter Bunny!

Make your own Sauerkraut

Take care of your gut health and make your own probiotic foods at home!

But first, let’s take a moment to acknowledge the cabbage. What an underrated vegetable! In Eastern Europe and Asia they long ago harnessed the power of the cabbage, using fermented cabbage leaves for stuffed cabbage rolls (my fav!), cabbage salads, coleslaw, cabbage soup, kimchi and of course sauerkraut.

It’s quite impressive the wondrous health properties possessed by this humble (and lets be honest - smelly) vegetable. Once it is fermented, cabbage boasts a host of vitamins and minerals. Fermentation starts when yeast and bacteria that are naturally present on the cabbage and your hands, as well as in the air, come into contact with the sugars in the cabbage. Sauerkraut fermentation creates conditions that promote the growth of beneficial probiotics, that are great for our gut health. A healthy diet requires food and drinks with probiotics.

Sauerkraut is a delicious and versatile fermented condiment that can be added to salads, eaten by the spoonful or added to any meal. It also has amazing health benefits for your micro biome. Sauerkraut is rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Its probiotics also help your body absorb these nutrients more easily, which is what makes sauerkraut more nutritious than raw cabbage.

You can use any combination of vegetables to achieve the flavours you desire, such as beetroot, purple cabbage, ginger, garlic, fennel or dill. But for our recipe today we used cabbage, carrot and horseradish. It’s such a simple recipe and nice to be able to make for yourself and friends or family.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cabbage (approx. 2kg of thinly sliced cabbage).

• 2-3 grated carrots

• 3/4 a stick of grated horseradish

• 2 - 2.5 Tbsp of salt (1 Tbsp per 1kg of vegetable)

METHOD

• In a large bowl combine the grated vegetables, the thinly sliced cabbage and the salt.

• Make sure your hands are clean as you need to use them for about 15 minutes to massage, squash and man handle the cabbage - the aim is to squeeze all of the liquid out of the vegetable so that liquid is covering the limp cabbage. Once this is achieved…

• …Then spoon the mixture into jars and pour the juices evenly amongst them.

• After squishing the mixture down with a spoon to make them as compact as you can - if there isn’t enough liquid then add 1/2 a Tbsp of water or so if required.

• Seal the jars and keep in a cool place.

• Check the mixture everyday - pressing it down with a spoon. If there is any scum that appears on top then scrape it off and press the mixture under the liquid.

• The whole process generally take about 2 weeks. You can taste it along the way.

• After 5-7 days you might prefer to relocate it to the fridge. The ferment will take a bit longer in the fridge, but will continue to ferment slowly in there.

• Keep for up to 6 months.

Three Day Detox

Coming out of the holiday season and needing to cleanse and reset?

The fun isn’t over. It is still summertime. There are still many party’s, BBQ’s and good times ahead. But I think most of us would agree that after the last month or so we need to take a pause to focus on diet and to feel cleansed. A three day detox is the perfect way to reset and get back on track.

So… how do we do this?

For the next three days, eliminate all sugars, alcohol, soda, processed food, grains, gluten, and animal products from your diet. In their place, enjoy green juices, smoothies, and plant-based soups. The only sweetener recommended for use is stevia, which is all-natural, comes from a plant and has zero glycemic impact. It is also very important to stay well hydrated by drinking 2 litre’s of water each day. Water is essential to help your body release toxins. The key is not to deprive your body but instead to flood it with nutrients to help it cleanse.

Here’s the Plan

1. Start each day with a glass of lemon water (squeeze the juice of one lemon into a large glass of room temperature water).

2. Mid morning = Green Smoothie. Wendy’s favourite recipe =

   • 1/2 cup frozen pineapple

   • 1 cup frozen zucchini

   • 1/2 green apple

   • 1/2 cup cucumber

   • 2 leaves of kale

   • 1/4 cup fresh mint (loosely packed)

   • juice of 1 lime

   • 1 cup of water

   • Plant based protein powder of choice

3. Two - Three fresh juices throughout the day. Keeping the juices mostly vegetable loaded, with a little fruit. Some juice combination examples =

   • Carrot, lemon, red capsicum & ginger

   • Celery, cucumber & green apple

   • Cucumber, beetroot & lemon

   • Celery, spinach, kiwi & lime

4. It’s best to have dinner early so you don’t get extremely hungry. For dinner make your favourite vegetable soup recipe. One of our favourites is Roasted Tomato Soup (recipe below). But you can choose to make a batch of any of your favourite vegetable based soups.

5. Drink herbal tea after dinner with stevia if you require something sweet.

6. Remember to drink 2 Litres of water throughout the day!

Roasted Tomato Soup

The trick is to use very sweet tomatoes!
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5kg of sweet tomato’s (cut in half)
- 3 or so Black tomatoes (cut in half)
- 1 or 2 red capsicum (cut in half)
- Bunch of basil
- 1 onion diced
- 5 or 6 cloves of garlic
- 1 x 800g can of whole tomatoes
- 3-4 Tbsp of tomato paste (optional)
- 3-4 Tbsp of corn flour
- Sprinkle Italian herbs
- Salt & pepper
- Pinch of chili flakes (optional)
- Olive oil
- 1/2 cup water
METHOD
- Cut tomatoes and capsicum and put on baking tray with some whole garlic cloves and sprinkle the Italian herbs and some salt and pepper.
- Bake in oven till they start to go a bit black.
- Dice onion and cook in big pot with olive oil and chili flakes - cook till brown.
- Add can of tomatos and tomato paste.
- Then add corn flour to warm water and stir till it's a thick paste and add it to the pot.
- Add basil, salt & pepper and let simmer.
- Add the tomato and capsicum from oven and blend with a stick blender.

You will feel great at the end of the three days! You just need to be headstrong and to stick to it! Take each day at a time and enjoy nourishing your body. Remember to be kind to your body while you are detoxing. Get plenty of sleep, drink lots of water, and treat yourself to a massage. You will feel refreshed and glowing!

Keto Christmas Recipes

It’s time to celebrate, BUT let’s also stay on track!

There will be a fair bit of indulging going on Christmas Day. It’s a beautiful time of year to share with family and friends. We can still keep ourselves in check by choosing delicious healthy options where possible. It’s great to eat, drink and be merry! As always just do so with modifications so that you are not left feeling guilty and sick afterwards.

Here are two recipes you might like to get inspiration from for your Christmas feasting: Keto Kale Caesar Salad & Keto Lemon Lime Cheesecake.

Because Keto recipes don’t skimp on the fats they are delicious. They also have adequate protein and next to no carbs. You get all of the yummy flavours without the guilt!

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Keto Kale Caesar Salad

With sweet potato ‘croutons’, delicious home made dressing and all of the usual suspects, this Caesar is sure to impress! Add grilled chicken or prawns or serve as a side with Bbq’d or roasted meats.

CAESAR DRESSING
Blend in nutribullet
- 1 room temp egg
- 1 Tbsp Dijon
- .5 small clove garlic
- 3 anchovies
- 1 Pinch Salt
- 1/4 cup hard Parmesan
- 1 Tbsp powdered Parmesan
- 1.5 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar

KALE CAESAR
Mix in a bowl
- 1 bunch of kale chopped up small
- 3 boiled eggs, cut into 1/4’s
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 5 rashers of middle bacon, cut up and fried
- Anchovies to garnish
- Dressing (however many Tbsps to taste).

- 1 Large sweet potato, diced and roasted

Keto Lemon Lime Cheesecake

Who doesn’t love cheesecake! And you really arn’t missing anything with this one. Even a sweet tooth won’t be able to tell this is sugar free!

BASE
- 1.5 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, crushed
- 1/2 cup dried orange rind (optional)
- 3 Tsp xylitol or Stevia
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
- 1 Tbspmelted butter

- Tbsp coconut oil
Mix in a bowl and press into tray and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

FILLING
- 2 packets light Philadelphia cream cheese
- 1.5 lemon zest and juice
- 1 lime zest and juice
- 3 tsp Gelatin
- 1/2 cup Xylitol or Stevia
- 400ml cream (whipped)

METHOD

- In one bowl put cream cheese, zest and sweetner and beat to combine.
- in a seperate bowl whip the cream.
- Add gelatin to citrus juice and heat up in a saucepan until thick.
- Beat gelatin mix into cream cheese mix.
- With a spoon fold cream into cream cheese mix.
- Spoon cheese cake mix on top of the hardened base mix and refrigerate for 3-4 hours before serving.

We hope that you enjoy these recipes over Christmas or anytime! Have a wonderful holiday and stay safe!

15 Tips to staying on track in the Silly Season

The party season is upon us!

It’s an exciting time of year. It’s the social season. There’s events every day of the week. There’s a festive feeling in the air that makes us feel like celebrating with drinks and dining. While it is great to enjoy the summer and the season, it’s also good to remember to stick true to your health and fitness goals and not to derail all of the hard work that you have done in the lead up to the end of the year.

Loosing control of your routine and gaining weight during Nov-Jan is a common downfall of the festive season. Various seasonal holidays and events may encourage consuming more alcohol, eating more rich foods and forgoing usual active routines.

So while it’s tempting to drink in the Monday afternoon sun and it’s an all too familiar sight to see that tray of delicious canapé’s coming your way - here are some tips that can help ensure you avoid holiday weight gain, whilst still having fun.

1.Stay active

Prioritise your normal workout routines and be mindful not to let late nights interfere with your morning workouts.

2. Limit the days of alcohol consumption

There are so many events on this time of year, so only drink alcohol at events and don’t slip into the habit of drinking all through the week.

3. Limit liquid calories

Make wise decisions with the choice of alcohol that you drink - choosing low calorie options over surgery calorie laden options will make a big difference.

4. Substitute some drinks

Take non-alcoholic sugar free options here and there when you can and/or drink a glass of water in between drinks.

5. Juice cleanse

It can get crazy with the amount of drinking or dining in the social calendar this time of year. You might like to consider doing a juice cleanse day once per week to reset after each weekend.

6. Avoid hangovers

Try to be mindful to not overdo it. Avoiding hangovers can avoid lots of bad choices with food the next day!

7. Snack wisely

Don’t be tempted to make bad food choices. As usual be prepared with healthy snacks.

8. Practise mindful eating

It’s easy to slip into ‘treat yourself’ mode of thinking at events or dinners - try to stay mindful with making healthy choices.

9. Get enough sleep

Don’t put yourself in a position where you are burning yourself out with late nights and lack of sleep. This will cause your whole routine to fall apart and leads to poor decision making.

10. Keep meals balanced with protein

Stay true to your usual diet goals and include protein in every meal.

11. Avoid holiday treats

Chocolates, puddings, cakes and all sorts of treats are so prevalent this time of year. Stay strong! So no!

12. Prepare heathy options

When you have the opportunity to be the barer of food - prepare healthy treat options and healthy share plates or meals.

13. Pass on dessert

Just say no to dessert.

14. Plan ahead

Look at your calendar of upcoming events and plan your cheat days accordingly.

15. Don’t be afraid to say No

It’s okay to say no, to pass on that roaming canapé, to take a day off or to turn down an invite. Enjoy yourself, but keep focused on your goals also.

All in all, it’s important not to prolong unhealthy habits. Enjoy yourself and be festive, but keep a mindful balance with fun and health. Set limits from the outset and stick to your goals. Most importantly; be aware that you might have a slip up or two - just don’t let that lead to completely abandoning of your goals. Reset and refocus and stay strong!