Use a food processor to blend the
coconut biscuits into crumbs. Add the melted butter to the crumbs and mix
together until there is a good consistency.
Press the biscuit mixture into a
tart case and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Melt the gelatin in warm water
until its fully dissolved.
Mix the pureed strawberries,
whipped cream, gelatin and vanilla yoghurt in a bowl.
Pour the strawberry mix into the tart base and refrigerate for 2 hours. Enjoy with blueberries and strawberries
Most people in this century have a different mindset when it comes to health and longevity. We see this as scientists constantly conduct researches and create treatments to combat diseases & viruses such as the common flu which was deadly in the 20th century. (newstatesman.com).
This brings us to the fact that people do not want to die of diseases or viruses. People are constantly fighting battles within their immune systems to live. We all want to live, above all, live longer to see those great great-great-grandchildren. Today, with our current technology and knowledge, we can live longer due to healthy practices and the right diet.
So when you see those overripe bananas, don’t throw them away! Put them to good use by making yourself a lovely banana bread packed with blueberries and strawberries!
Enjoy food and live long!
Here are some benefits of eating overripe bananas:
1. Relieves heartburn
Bananas help relieve heartburn by acting as an antacid but only if they are covered with dark spots. Raw bananas have more potassium nitrate which would be counterproductive because nitrates lead to heartburn.
2. Lower blood pressure
Including overripe bananas can help prevent strokes and heart attacks by helping your circulatory system function more efficiently due to their potassium levels.
3. Get a natural energy boost
Overripe bananas are sweeter because they contain more good carbohydrates and eating three bananas provides more than enough energy for an intense workout.
4. Bananas delay and prevent cell damage
Overripe bananas are rich in antioxidants, which, according to livestrong.com, is beneficial in preventing or delaying cell damage in one’s body. This lowers the risk of diseases and improves your immune system.
5. Helps combat cancer
According to healthy-holistic-living.com When a banana becomes too ripe, its peel turns a few shades darker. The dark spots on the peel create Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF), a substance that can kill cancerous and abnormal cells.
INGREDIENTS:
3 overripe bananas
1&1/2 cup cake wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons xylitol sugar
2 teaspoons cacao powder
1 egg
50 grams of melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
100 grams blueberries
50 grams of strawberries
¾ cup milk
10 ml of oil
A pinch of salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
In a bowl, beat an egg and bananas, add melted butter, vanilla essence and sugar then whisk until soft and fluffy.
In a separate bowl pour the flour, baking powder, cacao powder and salt then mix well
Add the banana mixture and milk to the flour and mix well until the batter is soft ( Add more milk until your desired thinness)
Grease your baking tray with oil
Add blueberries to your batter and pour the mixture into the pan
Decorate the batter with cut strawberries and blueberries.
The winter season is one of the most stressful times for me in terms of food preparation . Unlike winter, summer food is easy to make. You have light meals during the day to keep yourself cool. For instance, in summer I would retire to bed with only having a smoothie and nuts for dinner. Well that’s just me. I usually eat heavy in the morning!
For winter, you tend to want to eat a bit more warm things to keep the blood pumping and that steamy aroma from the food going down your nostrils. You need something hearty, frothy and rich in flavour.
Below are a few ideas of what foods you could have in winter. Food that is easy to prepare and doesn’t require overwhelming techniques :
SOUPS:
You can have soup anytime of the day. I usually like my soup in the morning with a bit of toasted bread. When you have soup first thing in the morning, you:
Boost your metabolism as the soup has to be digested.
Soup contains a high quantity of water that nourishes your body cells and keeps your skin fresh.
Soup is healthy and nutritious especially vegetable soups
Soups satiates you and as a result help you eat less and lose some pounds. I know that in winter people tend to bulk up but how about loading up on some healthy soups to shed the weight or maintain that weight that you worked so hard to get during summer!
My favourite soup is the BROCCADO SOUP ( BROCCOLI & AVOCADO).
broccado soup
INGREDIENTS:
1 Avocado
300 grams broccoli
10 ml canola oil
1 tsp moringa powder
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup full cream milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 block vegetable stock
1/2 tsp pepper
PREPARATION:
Boil the broccoli and vegetable stock for 10 minutes on medium heat until fully cooked. Season with salt, pepper to taste. Also add some oil to the pot.
In a blender , put 1/2 avocado, milk, broccoli and vegetable stock, moringa powder and blend until smooth
Enjoy with some fresh carrots and beetroot
BAKED WRAPS:
Tortilla wraps
Another easy food prep for anytime of the day are these baked tortilla wraps. I stuffed them with avocado, mayonnaise and eggs. Goodness they taste divine.
Wraps take no time to bake, they will be ready in as short as 5 minutes! You can even store these wraps in a lunch box or sealed bag so that when you get hungry you can just warm them up and enjoy.
Make your winter stress free with these easy meal prep ideas.
INGREDIENTS:
1 Avocado
3 large eggs
Mayonnaise 2 tbsp
1 tsp moringa powder.
Tortilla wraps
20 grams Butter
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven at 150
degrees Celsius for 5 minutes
Boil the eggs for 10
minutes
Spread some butter on to
the tortilla wraps.
In a bowl, beat the
avocado until smooth, add the boiled eggs, mayonnaise and moringa powder
Add the avocado mix to the
tortilla wraps, roll the wraps and bake for 5 minutes or until your desired
crispiness.
What do you have to keep yourself warm in winter? Comment below!
In this modern era, added sugar is the worst enemy to our health and should be avoided at all costs especially when you purchase your goods at the grocery store. Ensure that you check the food labels on your packaged food to know exactly what you are feeding your body.
The American Heart Association advises men to consume a maximum of 37.5 grams of added sugar daily, whilst women are advised to consume a maximum of 25 grams added sugar daily. Consuming too much sugar can lead to health complications such as diabetes, chronic illnesses, blood sugar spikes and weight gain. Prevention is better than cure therefore, strive to be a bit cautious on what you eat to increase longevity and basic wellness.
SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF CONSUMING ADDED SUGARS.
• ACNE- Have you ever eaten some delicious chocolate bars or doughnuts and after 4 hours or more you suddenly breakout? According to the Healthline, sugar contains oxidative properties that are shown to provoke acne and breakouts. Sugary foods once ingested, convert quickly into glucose and cause the body’s insulin levels to rise leading to bursts of inflammation on the body. Research shows that insulin spikes play a huge role in producing excess sebum or skin oils and this contributes to clogged follicles plus a worse skin complexion.
• HYPER ENERGY- I am sure most people are aware of the dangers of giving children candy and how uncontrollable they become afterwards. I remember when my little cousins came over to my place and ate some candy. Oh, my goodness, how I wished they hadn’t eaten those doughnuts! They couldn’t settle on one place, some were running all over the house and I had to chase them, some were laughing nonstop and it wasn’t even something funny to laugh at. Can you imagine a kid laughing like crazy after every 10 seconds? It was like that. They were high and hyper. After some time, they eventually lost all that energy and slept like babies. Whew, that was over finally! My point is, don’t give children treats that contain sugar, rather buy sugar-free sweets or make healthier snacks for them like fruits etc.
• WEIGHT GAIN- sugar is high in calories while offering few other nutrients, they are often referred to as empty calories, as they are high in calories yet void of nutrients, Consuming small amounts of added sugar is unlikely to cause weight gain, but regularly eating food with added sugars may cause you to gain excess body fat quicker and more drastically. Food high in sugar are less filling thus one tends to eat more in order to feel satiated. This causes one to eat an excess of their daily allowance and results in weight gain.
LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF CONSUMING ADDED SUGAR
• PREMATURE AGEING– We all need the fountain of youth, however, that juice you had for breakfast or the dessert you had before bed is sabotaging your goals. Sugar ages all both internally and externally. Here is something interesting: According to Dr Nish from the Unity Point Health Organisation, when you put a banana out on the counter and unpeel it, It gets brown within 24 to 48 hours. The sugars in that banana are reacting with proteins, causing cross-linking and the brown colour (browning reaction). The exact same reaction happens in our bodies thus we are browning from the inside out. The more sugar we have, the more our skin starts to suffer. This leads to acne, the appearance of wrinkles, sagging in neck and chin, development of dark spots, slower healing of cuts & scraps, etc.
• WEAK IMMUNE SYSTEM– According to a study done by researchers at Loma Linda University in Southern California, sugar impairs white blood cells. The main purpose of white blood cells is to fight bacteria and viruses that enter the body, however, sugar wears them out so that they can’t get that critical job done.
SUGAR ALTERNATIVES
Honey- Instead of adding cubes of sugar in your tea or coffee, why not replace it with natural honey? Raw honey contains less fructose and is the only natural sweetener with health benefits such as anti-microbial effects, promotes heart health and contains anti-inflammatory effects.
Instead of having fruit juice, drink plain water with lime or lemon fruit to taste.
Include cinnamon in your tea for sweet taste.
Snack on dried fruit instead of candy.
Maple Syrup- unlike sugar, maple syrup contains more than 50 beneficial compounds including antioxidants and a molecule with anti-inflammatory properties. The darker the syrup, the higher the concentration of these compounds.
Various kinds of sugar
Natural foods are always the best. Check out more of my healthy low-carb recipes on the recipes page. Enjoy!
