Golden Milk - The key to staying healthy this Winter

As the evenings are drawing in and the weather begins to change it's time to journey inwards and begin to look after yourself a bit more. Begin to spend more time indoors, eat more comforting foods to warm us from the inside out and get cosy in front of the fire with your loved ones. 

This is my go to concoction to not only make you feel warm and settled inside but to also stave off all those nasty colds, flus and tummy bugs that surface this season. A cup of this every night, or even every second night and I promise you, you will feel on top of the world. The benefits are huge and I've listed them below. 

Ingredients:

One cup of milk (Cow's/Goat's/Almond/Oat etc)

1 teaspoon of Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric

1/2 teaspoon of Dried Ginger

1 teaspoon of Honey

Optional: 1 teaspoon of Matcha Green Tea

Method:

Pour one cup of milk into a saucepan and heat on a low heat. Do not allow this to boil and froth.

Add in the dried ingredients and stir well. 

Once it is just about to boil remove from the heat and add in the honey. Stir well to dissolve.

Serve in your favourite mug in front of the fire under a blanket!

Note - you may need to stir it periodically throughout drinking. 

Dietary Information:

Vegetarian

Vegan (if you use alternative milk and no honey)

Gluten Free

Wheat Free

Refined Sugar Free

BENEFITS! 

The benefits of this milk mixture are immense:

Ginger is good for digestion issues, nausea, natural anti-inflammatory and boosts the immune system. 

Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory with amazing healing and cancer fighting benefits, it boosts the immune system, lowers cholesterol and stabilises blood pressure. You can find more on the benefits in my post HERE

Cinnamon helps to stabilise your blood sugar and burn fat more effectively.

Matcha Green Tea is high in anti-oxidants (repair damage to the body), promotes calmness and relaxation, increases energy levels and boosts the immune system. 

Don't let the colour put you off. Have a sip and enjoy the sweet, milky goodness. I have come to really enjoy this drink although it did take me a good few cups to get used to the taste and texture. 

Touch wood it has been 2 years since I have been to the doctor or bought or taken any medication. I haven't been ill or out of work as I'm confident it is because I look after my body and make sure my immunity is boosted to the highest degree. This drink being part of that routine! Stay healthy my Jeanies and get that immunity sorted before you fall ill!

Tuesday's Change Week 48 - Cold and Flu Season

So Halloween is over and 'Silly Season' has finally begun. It's a time when we all eat and drink too much, have too many late nights, the weather gets suddenly cold and we spend way too much money leading to stress and feeling worn out. Saying all that it's what makes the festive season what it is and we probably wouldn't change it even if we could!

But there is a way we can try and lessen the effects of the season. Keeping your immunity boosted is the easiest way but you need to put in the ground work well in advance to keep those dreaded colds and flus at bay.

This is my go to trick when I feel a cold coming on. I try and battle it head on before it develops into a full blown illness that leaves me missing a Christmas party, work do or even worse the Christmas Markets here in Germany!

Ginger is a natural antibacterial and antiviral so regardless of the cold or flu this should help to boost the immunity and attack the nasty bug before it can take hold. Garlic is similar and can be added to foods easily, providing you aren't planning on getting too close to anyone underneath the mistletoe! Ginger also tastes nicer in a hot drink and so I tend to add garlic to food and ginger to my drinks.

I take about 2 inches of fresh ginger, peel it and grate it into a bowl.
Fill the bowl with freshly boiled water and allow the ginger to stew for at least 5-10 minutes. The longer the better.
If you don't like the bits then feel free to sieve out the ginger.
This makes a 'cordial' of sorts and I place this in a sealed jar or jug to be used throughout the day.
To make a nice tea that will help clear your cold/flu in no time follow the instructions below:

- Add some of the cordial made above to a mug, about 5 tablespoons, or the more the better!
- Add boiling water, a squeeze of fresh lemon, or a slice, a sprinkle of cinnamon (optional) and a teaspoon of honey (optional).
- Mix well and enjoy.

I try and drink this at least 3 times a day if I feel any sort of illness coming on. Even from the first sip you can feel your head clear and the fuzziness lift. Not to mention it tastes nice!

You can read more about the benefits of ginger here.
This will not only fight colds and flus it will also help relieve bloating and digestive pain from over indulgence on food, help ease nausea from a hangover and warm you right up on those cold winter days. The benefits really are endless.

So that is it my Jeanies. This week try and drink a cup of this tea at least once a day and stave off that dreaded illness of the festive season. You won't regret adding this to your routine and you can make it easy and hassle free by preparing the cordial in advance and even adding the honey, cinnamon and lemon to it also. This way even if you are out and about you can ask for hot water and make your own!

Paleo Lemon and Blueberry Loaf

I, like many people, just love to watch the Great British Bake Off. It's just such an entertaining show and it's one that encourages people to get back into the kitchen! What more do you need? Now if you are anything like me you will need to watch this show stuffed to the brim or have some nice healthy cakes to hand. Otherwise you will spend the entire show drooling and/or repeatedly going to your cupboards hoping some baked creation will have magically appeared.

To prevent such sweet cravings I try and have some sort of cake made and waiting to fill the void. I recently tried this lemon and blueberry loaf and really enjoyed it. It's light and tasty with just enough stodge to satisfy. It is moist and so easy to make and keeps for a few days (if you don't polish it off in one sitting!)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of ground almonds
1/4 cup of dessicated coconut
1 teaspoon of gluten free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
4 organic, free range eggs
1/2 cup of organic coconut oil - melted (Cold pressed/Extra Virgin if possible)
1/3 cup of raw honey (organic and local ideally)
Juice of 1 lemon (organic and unwaxed)
Zest of 2 lemons
1 - 1 1/2 cups of organic blueberries

Optional glaze:
1/3 cup of full fat butter - melted
2 tablespoons of softened coconut oil
2 tablespoons of raw honey
2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C or Gas Mark 4.
Mix all the dry ingredients together except for the blueberries.
Slowly add in the wet ingredients, one egg at a time.
Ensure the batter is mixed thoroughly.
Line a bread loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
Place 1/2 the batter in the tin. Using 1/2 of the blueberries place them gently on top of the batter.
Cover with the remaining batter and then the remaining blueberries.
Cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes covering with foil if turning too brown.
When it is cooked allow it to cool on a wire rack.
If you wish to use the glaze then mix all ingredients together and once the loaf is fully cool drizzle the glaze over the top and allow it to soak into the cake.
Slice and enjoy!

Prep Time:
5-10 minutes

Cooking Time:
30-35 minutes

Dietary Information:
Paleo
Gluten Free
Wheat Free
Sugar Free
Diary Free
Vegetarian
Good Fats
Blueberries are one of your 5 a day and provide many anti oxidants which are great for repairing and healing resulting in better skin, hair, nails and overall health.

Storage Instructions:
Like most cakes this is best eaten warm from the oven! But it will keep for a few days in a sealed container. If you have good will power you could slice the loaf and freeze in individual slices to be defrosted and eaten when wanting a quick treat!

Enjoy this dish guys. I really do and it definitely fills a gap for stodgey, sweet treats without breaking free from eating clean.

A Gut Busting Brekkie

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Typically your gut is clear, you've digested all the food from the day before and I always think of it as a chance to heal any damage done from the weeks before (processed foods, alcohol, sugar all cause damage to the gut bacteria which is so important is health and especially in aiding weight loss).

So this breakfast is chock full of healthy bacteria inducing foods, it's tasty and quick to make!

Ingredients:

Greek Yogurt
2 heaped tablespoons of Udo's Beyond Greens (found here)
1 heaped teaspoons of Cinnamon (excellent at lowering your blood sugar and aiding weight loss)
1 handful of blueberries
1 heaped tablespoon of 100% Coco
1 teaspoon of honey (I use Healy's Organic Honey as it's local to Ballincollig)
2 teaspoons of my homemade granola (recipe here)


Method:
Add all ingredients into a bowl, mix well and enjoy!

Why should you eat a well balanced healthy breakfast? Above is why!