6 ways That Meal Planning Can Be A Self Care Tool
If finding balance in your eating habits is one of your goals, the best piece of advice I can give you is, let go of the diets, food rules and restrictive protocols and meal plans and start planning your own well balanced meals based on your taste preferences, nutrient needs and lifestyle. Let’s face it. No one knows what you like to eat, better than you. No one knows what your body needs, better than you.
3 Ways To Stay Committed To Your Wellness Goals
It’s that time of year when it gets harder to stay committed to your goals and resolutions. It’s easy to start looking for reasons and excuses to give up. They’re everywhere and not very hard to find. Let’s face it, change is hard, and it has been made even harder than ever in today’s climate. It’s just easier and more comfortable to stay put, eventhough you know it’s not what’s best for you. So how then are you supposed to stay committed to your goals in the face of all this adversity. Read on for 3 ways to stay committed to your wellness goals this year and every year.
Vegan Oil Free Chocolate Banana Tahini Snack Cake
This vegan oil free chocolate banana tahini cake is fluffy yet moist, and chocolaty with a subtle sweetness from the bananas and just a touch of maple syrup. It makes a perfect accompaniment to your choice of drink as an afternoon snack. I enjoy mine with my afternoon tea, a golden milk or matcha latte, while hubby enjoys his with coffee or capuccino and Amal likes hers with a cup of cold oat milk.
Wellness Beyond Nutrition: The 6 Areas Of Your Life To Focus On For Holistic Wellness
Holistic wellness goes beyond nutrition and involves 6 interconnected areas of your life. True lasting wellness happens at the intersection of all 6 areas. Your hopes, desires, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and actions have the power to influence your wellness in all areas, and an imbalance in one area is likely to spill over into the other areas.
Making Healthy Choices vs Dieting
Now more than ever, there’s a collective denouncing of diet culture happening in and around the wellness industry and beyond. People are starting to realize that diets, food rules and restrictions aren’t all they’ve been made out to be and that there is a better way. There's a sweet spot, a happy middle ground, where you can take charge of your health and wellbeing and finally create healthy, mindful and intuitive eating habits that stick, without food rules, restrictions and trendy fad diets.
Why we Overeat and What to do about it
Have you ever had a meal that left you feeling physically full, and yet you still felt the "need" to munch on something afterwards? You likely got up and walked over to the pantry or refrigerator (or holiday dessert table), in search of something more? We’ve all been there!
There are many reasons why this happens, but here are the most prominent ones I see most often in myself and my clients.
4 Ways to Shed All or Nothing Thinking
One of the main reasons why people fail to create healthy habits that stick is their all or nothing mentality. When you think in all or nothing terms, you tend to see things as black or white, extremes with very little middle ground, if any. Shifting your mindset and shedding the all or nothing mentality is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. It's not always easy, but it is possible. Here are my top tips for overcoming the all or nothing thinking and learning to see the middle ground.
How to Set Goals You Feel Connected To
SMART goals, as we call them in the business world, are quantitative in nature. They have many great qualities, but they’re lacking heart and soul. So how then, can we set goals with heart & soul that guide our wellness journey and help us bring our wellness vision to fruition?
Why willpower isn’t enough to create healthy habits that stick & what you need instead
Change is never easy. You start out motivated and full to the brim with willpower and think that this time it’s going to be different, until something happens to throw you off course and you find yourself back in your old habits, frustrated and wondering what’s wrong with you. It’s an all too familiar scenario, and you know what? Nothing is wrong with you. Read on to find out how you can create healthy eating habits that stick with more ease and simplicity.
Millet Hazelnut Pudding with Spiced Fig Compote
These healthy whole food parfaits are packed with the goodness of millet and fig and spiked with ginger, hazelnut butter and cinnamon for a flavour explosion in your mouth. Nutritious and satisfying enough for breakfast, yet decadent enough for dessert and light enough for a snack. What more could you ask for?
Peach Yogurt Parfait
This Peach Yogurt Parfait takes minutes to whip up, especially if you already have a batch of my toasted muesli on hand and it makes an awesome quick and easy breakfast or snack.
Creamy Tomato & Cannellini Bean Soup
This creamy tomato and cannellini bean soup was inspired by Pappa al Pomodoro a traditional peasant dish from the Sienese region of Tuscany. My version ditches the bread in favour of a more hearty, nutrient dense alternative - Cannellini beans.
Roasted Apricot & Honey Ice Cream
This ice cream can be made 3 ways - with an ice cream maker, using the no churn method or poured into ice pop molds. The result is a deliciously creamy, sweet yet tangy ice cream either way. The apricots are roasted and blended with a cashew coconut cream base, which is then aromatized with orange blossom water and bourbon vanilla, and sweetened with a thick and creamy local raw honey. All you need in a heatwave.
Creamy Zucchini & Mint Soup
This creamy zucchini and mint soup with cashews and pine nuts is refreshing and nourishing and perfect for summer. Just a handful of nutrient dense ingredients, few steps to follow, minimal cooking time and best eaten at room temperature. Bonus points in a heatwave.
Vanilla & Orange Blossom Cake with Seasonal Fruit
This cake is light and fluffy yet moist, with the intoxicating aroma of orange blossom water which pairs beautifully with fresh strawberries, as pictured here, but also works wonderfully with peaches, nectarines, apricots, or raspberries, so go ahead and swap out the fruit based on what you have on hand and what’s in season.
Strawberry Tahini Crisp
This strawberry crisp is vegan friendly, oil free, and gluten free if you use certified gluten free oats. The tahini not only acts as a binder for the topping ingredients, but also adds a whole other dimension of flavour that complements the natural sweetness of the strawberries.
Asparagus, Strawberry and Quinoa Salad with White Balsamic Dressing
Asparagus are lightly sauteed with shallots and sea salt and deglazed with white balsamic vinegar until tender but still crisp, then tossed with herbamare seasoned black & white quinoa and topped with lemon juice, more white balsamic vinegar, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to keep things nice and fluffy, some chopped fresh mint and parsley, chopped walnuts and fresh strawberries. Spring perfection in a bowl with a good dose of protein, fiber and healthy fats and an array of vitamins and minerals to keep you balanced.
Tahini, Orange Blossom & Amaranth Granola
This oil free, refined sugar free granola is made with naturally gluten free and nutrient rich puffed amaranth and rolled oats and infused with the aroma and flavour of orange blossom water and tahini. Crushed pistachios and cranberries are added for extra flavour and texture to round out the granola.
Sundried Tomato & Hemp Paté
This sundried tomato and hemp paté is a falvourful nutrient packed spread that’s sure to become a family favourite. It’s delicious on sourdough or crackers, in a sandwich or wrap with your favourite protein, and is a great addition to any buffet table with crunchy vegetables.
Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (aka Homemade Nutella)
This Chocolate Hazelnut Spread is not only reminiscent of the popular nutella, it’s even better, if I dare say so. It has a rich hazelnut flavour thanks to fresh roasted hazelnut butter and a deep dark chocolate flavour from the raw cacao powder. It’s creamy, spreadable and delectable.