Please raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimised by the health food industry.

Keep your hand raised if you’ve ever tried a different way of eating and felt bad/guilty/ashamed when it didn’t work for you.

Same. 

One of the most controversial areas of the health food industry is around the idea of snacking.  

Should you snack? 

Will it make you put on weight? 

Is it ‘bad’ for you? 

If you’re not hungry, should you still have a snack?

The truth is, it’s entirely up to you, so can we please stop the fear-mongering? If you’re hungry, you should eat. It’s as simple as that. Snacking doesn’t need to be something unhealthy, something that makes you feel guilty or something you have to avoid.

For many, snacking has become a pastime during isolation, helping to alleviate stress or solve boredom. While food can act as comfort during stressful times, it shouldn’t be your only option.

Personally, I’ve been trying to use the time to up my game when it comes to mindful eating. You can read more about mindful eating here.  So, if I do feel the desire to alleviate stress and think about a bar of chocolate in my house, I’ll first try speaking to a loved one, walking around the block or doing a meditation app, and then I’ll reassess how I’m really feeling and what I’m craving. If I find I still want a snack, I choose something that will help sustain my energy like this sardine mash pot or if I'm really hungry I'll put it on this delicious toast. 

That being said, there’s a difference between snacking on cut-up veggie sticks and finding yourself falling into the daily habit of being elbow-deep in a large packet of potato crisps, then licking your fingers to erase any evidence. There is nothing wrong with snacking, but snacking excessively, or on discretionary foods everyday, isn’t advisable for long term health. 

If you’re deciding whether or not snacking is right for you, have a think about your meals. If you’re not intermittent fasting, I recommend consuming three balanced meals daily, including a source of fibre, protein and healthy fats at every meal. If you find the hours between breakfast and lunch, or lunch and dinner, unbearably long, a snack mid-morning or mid-afternoon may suit you. If you ignore tummy grumbles mid-afternoon, you may find yourself stuffing yourself silly with the chocolate you have in your secret chocolate cupboard after dinner instead. #weareonlyhuman. 

So, you’ve decided to snack, now what? Rather than eating on the run, sit down take a big breath and really savour each bite. This can feel silly at first, but it can help you align with your own specific hunger cues and understand when you’re hungry and when you’re snacking out of boredom, emotional cravings or anything else. I love to savour this banana bread, it's a must and really satisfies cravings!

If you’re looking for a snack, and not the dating kind, you’ve come to the right place. 

When choosing a snack, look for something satisfying, but not overfilling. Like when you make meals, I recommend combining protein, fibre and possibly a healthy fat, to keep the grumbles away and help you feel fuller for longer. Some great snacks include: 

• Chia Overnight Jar
• A Bliss Ball
• A Healthy Muffin
• A piece of fruit with a tablespoon of nut butter 
• Nibble Mix
• Cut up veggie sticks with hummus 
• Collagen and Flax Bars
• Sea Nuts

Now THAT'S a snack!

These snacks are balanced and can help stabilise blood glucose levels, which can prevent overeating later on during the day. Sit down and enjoy your snack, one bite at a time.  

Whether you snack or not doesn’t need to be a binary. Some days you may feel the need to, and others you won’t. While a million health bloggers will give varied advice, remember that you are unique; you have a different body, schedule, and lifestyle to work with, and you’re the best judges of what is best for you!

Which brings me to another contentious topic; dairy. I know that cow’s dairy isn’t for everyone, but calcium sure is! Calcium is required for healthy bones, nerves, cardiac health, muscles and teeth. Sources of calcium include unhulled tahini, almond butter, dark leafy greens such as kale and collard greens, calcium-fortified milk, tofu and, of course, dairy.

If you can’t tolerate cow’s cheese, why not consider goat’s cheese? Goat’s cheese has less lactose than cow’s dairy, and many find it easier to digest. It’s rich in vitamins and minerals and tastes very delicious. While it may be a little more expensive than the run of the mill dairy, it’s well worth it! 

Done mindfully, snacking can boost energy and keep hunger at bay. If you’re ready to take on the ultimate snack party platter, or, possibly just your regular, average afternoon snack, try out my Omega Cheese Crackers with a delectable dip. Combined, this take on your regular ‘cheese and crackers’ is a supercharge of flavour, fibre, protein, vitamins, minerals and essential fats. 

So, go on, I know you want to.

 Omega Cheese Crackers 

{MAKES ABOUT 24} 

Home-made crackers are a great way to save money, save the earth by reducing package waste, and just make dip dunking and snacking so much more gratifying. These crispy flaxseed meal crackers are a weekly bake in my household, and the addition of nutritional yeast flakes gives the tastiest cheesy flavour. Great for entertaining, afternoon snacking and kids’ lunchboxes. 

•     200 g (7 oz/2 cups) flaxseed meal 
•     185–250 ml (6–9 fl oz/3/4–1 cup) filtered water 
•     2 tablespoons coconut aminos 
•     1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes (optional) 
•     Tiny pinch of sea salt 

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking tray with baking paper. 

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix until they form a smooth dough. 

Spread the dough to about 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick on the prepared baking tray. Score into squares or diamonds so the crackers can be broken apart easily when baked. 

Bake for 20–30 minutes, until crispy. 

Lemony Goat’s Cheese Dip 

{ MAKES ABOUT 375 G [13 OZ] } 

• 220 g (7 3/4 oz/1 cup) hummus 
• 150 g (5 1/2 oz) goat’s cheese 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor. 

Serve with omega cheese crackers.

Give them a go and let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Lee xo

When we talk about chemicals, we often look at our consumption of chemicals and pesticides in food, and the potential impact they may have on our health. But have you ever thought about the chemical impact of your cookware?

Why think about cookware?

Most traditional non-stick pans release toxic fumes when overheated, which can increase the burden on our (often overworked) liver. Non-stick pans contain harmful chemicals such as PFAS, Gen X (not the generation – Gen X are part of the PFAS class of synthetic substances that create a non-stick coating), PTFE and more. Every time you overheat your pan, these toxic chemicals get released and slowly accumulate in our body and the environment.

Cooking with non-chemical cookware is a healthier option that minimises the consumption of toxins, emits less carbon dioxide than traditional non-stick pans and can handle high heats.

Choosing toxic-free cookware.

If you’re looking for a pantastic new pan, why not try GreenPan^TM? Their 100% toxic-free ceramic non-stick coatings are made with natural materials and don’t contain any nasties so you can say goodbye to toxic fumes for good. After all, healthy cooking starts with healthy cookware. GreenPan^TM has a wide selection of ceramic and metal pots and pans which are dishwasher friendly to spare you the stress of cleaning up. Using GreenPan^TM promotes healthy and toxic-free cooking. You can read a review here.

Which collection should you choose?

If you’re thinking, “I have no room for MORE cookware,” the Smart Collection is for you. The range of space-saving stackable frying pans will easily fit into your kitchen cupboard. The V-shaped handle on the Smart Collection will help minimise heat transfer and ensure a comfortable grip, so you can goodbye to burnt hands. The Thermolon^TM Infinity Professional ceramic non-stick coating is durable and glittered with diamonds for an extra bit of sparkle.

If you need an all-in-one, The Craft Collection uses heavy gauge materials that allow for intensive daily use. The cast handles utilise black titanium, and the stainless-steel lids have etched details that give this collection a luxe look and feel – get your Insta-worthy shots ready! The smart design even provides you with 25% more extra cooking surface and is simple to use and clean.

Are you looking for smart technology and a sophisticated look? Cue: The Copenhagen Collection. With premium materials for professional results, this collection is modern and sleek, finished off with a unique handle in brushed stainless-steel. It’s the perfect addition to the modern kitchen.

The Melbourne Collection heats quickly and evenly on your stove thanks to its construction and technology, performing exceptionally on all heat sources. The silicone handles on this collection adds a comfortable and secure grip. As a bonus, each pan and pot uses drip-free edges for easy pouring without the mess.

My Favourite Collection

The Venice Pro Collection is my personal favourite, with a hard-anodised aluminium exterior that’s stylish and handy, complete with Magnetio^TM induction technology for top performance. The stainless steel handle allows your cookware to transfer safely from counter to oven. The glass lids are great for easy monitoring and reduce the chances of heat escaping; perfect for the impatient cook or baker. It’s a collection that can do it all and ticks all the boxes.

Check out that stackability!

If you’ve got no fry-dea what you’d cook with a new pan, allow me to introduce to you to my fifteen-minute immune-boosting vegetable broth. This recipe is as immune-boosting as they come, containing antimicrobial garlic, antioxidant-rich carrots and flu-fighting ginger.

It’s incredibly fibre-licious and straightforward. The best part about this broth is that it’s cooked in one pan. Say goodbye to hours of washing up and use that time to enjoy this broth with your family and friends. I can’t wait for you to try it out for yourself.

Fifteen Minute Immune Boosting Vegetable Broth 

Serves 2 

• 4 cloves garlic sliced fine 
• 1 carrot thinly sliced lengthways 
• 2 sticks celery sliced 
• 1 zucchini chopped into cubes 
• 1-inch piece of ginger sliced
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock 
• 2 tbs nutritional yeast flakes
• Sea salt, black pepper and coriander to serve 

1. Place all ingredients into the pan. Bring to a boil then simmer, for ten minutes until vegetables are cooked. 
2. Pour into a bowl and season to taste, then stir in nutritional yeast flakes if using.
3. Serve immediately with fresh coriander. 

GreenPan^TM can be found on Amazon.com.au or in Target, Myer or Kitchen Warehouse.

Find out more about Green Pan here. Socialise with Green Pan on Facebook here and Instagram here.

We all know I have a little bit of a green thumb; and love tending to my garden, growing an abundance of herbs, planting new seeds and foraging.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking, isn’t this a blog about prebiotics? And yes, you are right of course.

A few years back in my Gut Health 101, I gave the analogy of the gut as being like an Amazonian rainforest. We’re going to dive a little deeper into that concept today and discuss the gut environment. 

Inside each of us is an inner rainforest that needs to be nurtured; this is known as your gut microbiome. Just like a rainforest, your internal ecosystem requires the right soil, seeds, plants and fertiliser to blossom and grow.  

To create vibrantly coloured plants, we need a diverse range of bacteria and plant food. This is where varied fibre-rich whole foods come in, known as prebiotics.

Prebiotics are found in your everyday vegetables and legumes such as asparagus, lentils and onion, as well as more exotic foods, like your chicory root and Jerusalem artichoke. They promote the growth of friendly gut bacteria to improve metabolic issues, health maintenance and protection against disorders.

Prebiotics not only have protective effects on the gastrointestinal system but also on other parts of the body, such as the central nervous system, immune system, and cardiovascular system. TAG: triacylglycerol; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; IBS: irritable bowel syndrome; IL-4: interleukin 4; IL-8: interleukin 8; IL-10: interleukin 10; NK cells function: natural killer cells function.

Probiotic foods, like sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha, are also going to help your inner ecosystem flourish and grow. Probiotics look after the gut by promoting good gut bacteria and ridding the body of any harmful bacteria. Enhance your gut health further with Gundry MD Mct Wellness, a supplement crafted to support your overall well-being. With a blend of MCTs and other key ingredients, it complements the benefits of probiotic-rich foods, promoting a healthier and more balanced gut environment.

To tend to the rainforest, firstly it needs to be cleaned and free of bad bacteria and residue that inhibits absorption (mucoid plaque). If you're looking for ways to show gentle cleanse your internal rainforest and sweep out impurities,  Love Your Gut Powder, Love Your Gut Capsules and Golden Gut Blend can help. They're a naturally vegan source of organic quality, food grade diatomaceous earth, that help sweep out impurities and reduce bloating. Golden Gut Blend is a mineral-rich anti-inflammatory blend that helps create a healthy alkaline environment in the body.

It’s time to plant new seeds in your ecosystem, so welcome to the garden club! If you’re looking for a fertiliser, Fulvic Humic Concentrate contains natural plant substances that play an important role in healthy metabolism and gut lining and is particularly useful if you are suffering from increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut). You can read more about leaky gut on Harvard Health here. 

Because your bacteria need to be nourished too, today I'm sharing a list of some of my new favourite prebiotic rich foods that you might want to add to your diet for great gut health;

Chicory Fibre

Chicory root is packed with a soluble fibre called inulin, a type of fructan. Inulin can be found in some of our more well-known prebiotics, including artichokes, onions and garlic. Inulin promotes healthy digestion, is excellent for relieving constipation, fighting inflammation and improving the absorption of minerals. Inulin, like all prebiotics, passes through the body undigested, helping to ease digestion. Chicory is commonly added to packaged foods to boost their fibre content, but I think we should dig straight to the source!

While chicory isn’t found in your general grocer, it can be found in some special grocers or health food shops. If you can find chicory root, boil it and then eat the leaves and roots as you usually would eat your greens.

If you’re looking for an alternative to coffee, like dandelion tea, chicory can be used as a caffeine-free alternative and is often combined with dandelion root in tea bags.

It’s seriously delicious, and great for your liver too. You might like to try this Mocha Banana Smoothie Bowl  and use dandelion and chicory tea. Or go for a Proplant complete shake.

Konjac

Used in traditional Chinese medicine as a weight-loss supplement for years, konjac is an Asian root vegetable full of soluble fibre. It contains glucomannan, helping maintain blood glucose levels and relieving constipation while being very low in calories.

While it sounds exceptionally exotic and fancy, konjac can be found as a noodle alternative in the health food section of the supermarket. They make for an excellent pasta alternative for anyone looking to up their fibre, without the gluten, grains or sugar.

Enjoy konjac noodles with vegetables and protein, like my delicious pantry tuna pasta.

Cassava Flour

I’ve always rooted for cassava root! The cassava plant is found in South America, Asia and Africa, and is a starchy carbohydrate, similar to potatoes, taro or yam. The cassava vegetable, also known as yuca, is transformed into an unstoppable flour when we peel and dry it, making it rich in dietary fibre.

It contains a resistant starch known as RS3 and is high in nutrients while being gluten, grain and nut-free. It’s practically the holy grail of gluten-free flours and can be replaced on a 1-1 scale to regular white flour in many recipes.

Why not try this Celeriac Fries recipe and swap it out for Cassava. 

Chickpea Flour

Legumes have bean around the town when we talk about prebiotics, so why not spin it around, turn it upside down and process it into flour?

I know, it’s getting wild up in here!

Enter – chickpea flour, the answer to your high-protein flour prayers (just me? Okay, fine.). Chickpeas contain antioxidants called polyphenols, and are rich in protein, containing 20g of protein per cup of flour. It is low GI, meaning it won’t have an impact on blood glucose levels either.

You can typically find chickpea flour (Besan or Gram flour) online, or at a health food store. One of the best ways to use chickpea flour is to turn it into a flatbread called socca bread, which uses a ratio of 1-1 chickpea to water. It’s so chic!

While the prebiotics listed above are a little different to your usual onion and artichoke, don’t be alarmed! The regular vegetables that you’re already buying are already helping to feed your prebiotics and form good gut bacteria; go you good thing!

If you’re wanting some more regular prebiotics to get your inner ecosystem going, I’ve got you covered here too;

I won’t un-leek too many jokes here because I don’t want to bring you to tears ;). Leeks and onions contain inulin, helping to promote healthy gut bacteria and break down dietary lipids.

Leeks and onions are on my weekly shopping rotation, and there's hardly ever a roast veggie tray in my house without them.

Why not try this one on for size, it's my popular Prebiotic Tray Bake with Garlic Tahini here.

Still rooting for root vegetables (try to say that ten times fast!)? Me too! I mean, is there anything they can’t do?!

Starchy root vegetables like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, turnips and parsnips are easy-to-digest, great for your digestive system and incredibly cleansing for the body. They tend to be sweet in taste but don’t spike your blood sugar.

They get extra brownie points for being rich in vitamin A and C, essential for our skin and immune health.

If you’re tired of the typical roasted vegetables, try mashing them up in a chunky root veg mash… mmm…  

If you’re looking to please even the toughest of critics (in my experience, this is typically children under the age of 12 ha), my sweet potato, broccoli and ham soup is your new go-to. I mean, for real, who can say no to ham?

If you’re going ham just thinking about it, make sure you find a passionate butcher and invest in quality free-range or organic nitrate-free ham. However, if you happen to be cooking for the ham averse, just leave out the ham for a delectable veg-filled soup. I assure you; all taste buds will be singing from the first taste.

Sweet potato, broccoli and ham soup

SERVES 4

This soup is so delicious and easy to throw together. It’s also great to freeze, for use as a quick midweek work meal. In my eyes, ham is one of the most scrumptious, joyous, flavour-filled foods in the world. But not all hams are created equal. Make sure you find a passionate butcher and invest in quality free-range or organic nitrate-free ham, which will be browner and not so pink (pink ham has been treated with nitrates). The taste is second to none, and you only need small amounts to bring an immense salty ham flavour to your meals.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 leeks, pale part only, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 4 thin nitrate-free ham slices, chopped
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 turnip, chopped
• 1 head broccoli, chopped
• 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) vegetable stock or filtered water
• 2 teaspoons picked thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs to serve
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 80 ml (21/2 fl oz/1/3 cup) coconut cream

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then cook the leeks, garlic and ham for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the remaining ingredients except for the coconut cream, then bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked.

Transfer half the soup to a blender, allow to cool slightly, then purée until smooth.

Return the puréed soup to the pan to heat through.

Ladle into bowls, swirl in the coconut cream and serve garnished with thyme sprigs and a grind of pepper.

SUPERCHARGED TIP 

Roasted sweet potato slices make a lovely garnish for this soup, as do edible flowers. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think of this or any of the other recipes in the comments section below.

If Disney taught me one thing, it was this; Sleeping Beauty was onto something!

We all know what we feel like when we don’t get enough rest; it feels like it’s harder to do everything. We hinder our work performance, finding the strength to do physical activity can be that much more difficult, and we’re more likely to get run-down and feel aches and pains feel or sniffles coming along.

We all know we need sleep, so if it has become a problem for you, maybe now is a good time to prioritise it. Rest is a massive piece in the puzzle of health and is vital for our brains, immune system, digestive system and ability to function as a human being.

Sleep gives us a chance to recover, rebalance and reset for a new day. Sleeping is also essential for brain health, allowing our neural networks to slow down and go back to baseline each night, so we don’t get overloaded and overwhelmed in the morning. On top of this, research is now suggesting that sleep can impact our mood, with sleep deprivation amplifying our response to negative emotional stimuli. So, when you lack sleep, your reactions to situations may differ significantly to when you’re well-rested.

Sleep is also essential for regulating our metabolism, particularly with the hormones that control our appetite, leptin (the hormone that signals satiety) and ghrelin (the hormone that increases hunger that is produced and released mainly by the stomach with small amounts also released by the small intestine, pancreas and brain). Sleep helps suppress ghrelin and stimulate leptin. Without sleep, these can reverse, which is why we’re likely to grab a chocolate bar mid-morning after not getting enough sleep!

Before we dive into specific foods, I'd love to touch on the importance of sleep hygiene; the things you can do daily to improve your sleep. I hope that these tips help you. 

My essentials for sleep include:  

1. Create a sleep schedule. I recommend going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. We want to be getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night.
2. Help your body wind down, switch off cortisol and retire for the day with a calming night-time routine. Try out a warm bath or shower, a delicious candle, writing or drawing in a journal, meditating or deep breathing, a relaxing self massage for the tummy, listening to relaxing music, chatting to your loved ones or reading a book. 
3. Watch your stimulant intake. Consider your consumption of caffeine, alcohol and refined sugar, especially in the latter part of the day. It’s said that two glasses of wine before bed can negatively impact sleep by up to 40%! 
4. Your room should be your sanctuary. Let me repeat that: your bedroom should be your sanctuary. Stop doing work on your bed! Before bed, your room should be pitch black, at a cool temperature and as quiet as possible.
5. Avoid foods that are super spicy and rich, overly fatty and stimulating, especially before bed.
6. I recommend staying hydrated throughout the day and try not to drink too much liquid before you go to bed – no one likes waking up for bathroom trips several times throughout the night.
7. Exercise regularly throughout the day, aiming to get outside in the earlier hours of the morning. Regular exercise in daylight tells your body that it’s daytime, which is vital for our circadian rhythms. This increases our alertness throughout the day.

Now that the basics are out of the way, it’s time to look at specific sleep-enhancing foods.

The meal before you go to bed, usually dinner, should include foods with a low glycemic index, combined with a protein and fat, e.g. non-starchy vegetables, a portion of your favourite protein and some avocado. Eating a whole and balanced dinner will help keep you full and satisfied, without feeling overstuffed.

One of my favourite minerals in the whole world is magnesium (sorry to any other minerals listening)! Magnesium performs over 300 biochemical reactions in the body and supports the health of the nervous system, musculoskeletal system and digestive system. It also produces specific neurotransmitters that regulate our stress and sleep response.

Many of us are magnesium deficient, so I recommend upping your intake of magnesium-rich food. Include nuts and seeds such as almonds and pepitas, bananas, avocado, spinach and beans. And after dinner and a few hours before bed, try chocolate. Who doesn’t want to be told by their nutritionist that they should eat chocolate? Try out my Collagen and Flax Chocolate Bars for a delicious magnesium hit.

B vitamins are an absolute must, helping us turn the food we eat into energy and regulating our stress response. They’re integral in supporting neurotransmitter production too. Specifically, vitamin B6 synthesises melatonin, the hormone that makes us sleepy. Foods rich in vitamin B6 include poultry such as chicken or turkey, oats, bananas and pumpkin. Fish is another source of vitamin B6, giving your body the heads up that it’s time to produce melatonin and get sleepy.

Fish is also full of omega-3 fatty acids, which help regulate serotonin, responsible for our sleep-wake cycle. Omega-3 fatty acids help regulate cortisol, the stress hormone and reduce inflammation. For a fish delight, get your hands on my Delicious Salmon and Coriander Fish Cakes here or my Supercharged Fish Tortillas here.

The gut intricately connects to the brain via the gut-brain axis. Essentially, this means that the gut impacts the brain and visa versa. So, if you’re struggling to fall asleep, have a look at your gut health. If your gut bacteria is getting you down, clean the gut as you sleep with Love Your Gut Powder, Golden Gut Blend or LYG Capsules.

One ingredient you may have not yet heard about is tart cherry juice. Current clinical research is discovering that tart cherries can increase our time asleep and sleep efficiency.¹ Tart cherry juice helps regulate our circadian rhythm (our sleep-wake cycle) and is also a potent antioxidant. Drink up!

If you’re a meat-eater, you’ll be happy to know that chicken and turkey are great for sleep. Both chicken and turkey contain the amino acid tryptophan, which helps make serotonin, causing a relaxing mood, which then helps produce melatonin. You don’t need to wait till Thanksgiving to have a turkey; supercharge every day with my Roast Turkey with all the Trimmings or give my Chicken Biryani with Cauliflower Rice a try.

Other natural sleeping remedies include teas that contain two powerful ingredients – passionflower and valerian. These herbs are both natural sedatives, reducing stress, calming us down and targeting sleep disorders.

Speaking of sleepy teas, how can we forget chamomile? While some people think of chamomile as hay water, I love the taste. Chamomile is a gentle herb that is incredibly soothing, and full of an antioxidant called apigenin that promotes sleepiness… I’m nodding off just thinking about it. Try these relaxing tea recipes here. 

We mentioned that nuts and seeds are rich in magnesium, but they also contain that serotonin-boosting amino acid, tryptophan. Including walnuts, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds every day will do wonders for your sleep.

If you’re nuts for nuts, you’ll love my Pumpkin Almond Bake. This supercharged bake, packed full of mood-lifting and sleep-enhancing foods, is a great side dish at dinner before you hit the hay at the end of the day.

Pumpkin Almond Bake

A couple of everyday veggies combined with the right spices and a sprinkling of toasted almonds – you’ll be amazed at the paradoxical simplicity and flavourful complexity of this dish. Easy to prepare and easy on the wallet, it’s a bake that’s big on flavour yet low in calories. What more could you ask?

Serves 4

• 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) pumpkin (winter squash), cut into dice
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil, melted, or olive oil
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 400 g (14 oz) baby (pattypan) squash, halved if large
• 1 large brown onion, cut into thin wedges
• Celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 45 g (1 1/2 oz/1/3 cup) slivered almonds, to serve

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

Put the pumpkin in a roasting tray, drizzle with half the oil and sprinkle with the spices.

Roast for 20 minutes, then add the remaining vegetables and oil, season with salt and pepper, and bake for a further 15–20 minutes, or until cooked through, turning once.

Meanwhile, toast the slivered almonds in a small dry frying pan over medium heat until light golden.

Serve the vegetables topped with the toasted almonds.

SUPERCHARGED TIP

You can replace the baby squash with zucchini (courgette) if you prefer.

¹ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28901958/

Many years ago, I decided to ditch a habit that was causing harm to my health. It was no easy feat. I had a massive void in my heart that was aching to be filled. I searched for what felt like oolong time to fill the spot, but alas, no luck.

And then, I went to India, and fell in love. Sweet, warm and a little spicy. Suffice to say; I fell hard.

If you haven’t guessed it by now, the void I was trying to fill was an almond latte-shaped one. I tried peppermint tea, green tea and even went so far as a magical unicorn latte (yes it's a thing!), but nothing hit the spot quite right.

I searched throughout the region for an alternative drink (okay, the cafes around my neighbourhood). But it wasn’t until I sipped on a chai from a street vendor in India, that I discovered what I'd been missing all along.

Since then, not a day has gone by without a chai. Chai is my motivator, life source and for any yogi’s out there, my prana.

For any newbies out there, let me quickly introduce you: this is chai, a flavoured tea beverage made with black tea and aromatic Indian spices or herbs. Chai loves walks in the park, dairy-free milk, rom-coms, and a dash of excitement. You can easily make your own chai spice at home you just need to have a few ingredients handy.

Since tasting that authentic chai, I've been tinkering around for years trying to perfect my own version and one that can live up to the hype and universal appeal of this drink. My motto being, if at first you don't succeed, chai chai again.

IMHO a good chai needs to be well balanced with spices, have a warmth and sweetness, give you a big hug from first to last sip and its whole should be greater than the sum of its parts.

I’ll stop being modest here for a second and cut to the chai-se, this is the tastiest chai you’ll ever make. I know what you’re thinking: Lee, I think you’re a little bit biased here. Maybe you’re right, but if you're a chai lover I'd really love for you to try it out.

So, you may be asking, what goes into making a good chai? A good chai needs to be the perfect temperature, creamy enough to be warm and comforting, but not too sweet that it overpowers the spices.

But, we’re not here to make a good chai; we’re here to make a great one...

If you avoid caffeine, chai is inclusive, so you can make it with a caffeine-free tea as a base. I’ve added a version where I've swapped out the regular black tea for caffeine-free rooibos tea- but you can make it with either.

My chai spice mix (masala tea) includes a mix of spices, including cardamom pods, ginger, cinnamon, whole cloves, star anise, fennel seeds and saffron. This blend is perfect for creating a dreamy creamy at-home chai.

Once you’ve created your chai mix, feel free to keep it in a glass jar and leave it in your spice cabinet for future use (like, ahem, tomorrow) or the fridge.

This simple recipe makes for the perfect pick-me-up, and as a bonus, makes the house smell like Christmas!

The Best Sticky Chai Recipe I have Ever Tasted

Makes: 1 jar

• 12 cardamom pods
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 3 cinnamon quills
• 4 star anise
• 1 tbs fennel seeds
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 1/2 cups rooibos tea leaves or use English breakfast tea
• 1 tbs vanilla fresh, liquid or powder
• 1/4 cup honey
• Pinch saffron (optional)

Method:

In a small pan toast cardamom pods, ginger, cinnamon, star anise, whole cloves and fennel seeds.

Transfer to blender or mortar and pestle and smash or whizz until pieces are chunky.

Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir in vanilla and honey to coat. I usually do this bit with my hands.

Keep in airtight container - I store mine in the cupboard, but you do you!.

Sticky Oat Milk Rooibos Chai

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 3 tbs chai mix
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup oat milk
• Ground cinnamon, to serve

Place 3 TBS of chai and 2 cups of  water in a small saucepan over a medium heat.

Heat slowly  and then turn down to a simmer. (This will protect the nutrients in the honey as rapid heat can destroy them).

Add 1/2 cup of oat milk and warm gently.

Turn off heat and let steep for 5 minutes allowing the flavours to mingle.

Strain into a mug and top with ground cinnamon.

Hope you enjoy this delicious Sticky Chai recipe. Let me know how it works out for you in the comments section below.

Lee 🙂

As many of you already know, the gut plays an essential role in your overall health, your energy levels and your ability to keep your immune system strong and healthy.

This week I’ve been involved in a wonderful gut transformation summit which is a FREE resource for all.  If you’re keen to discover the latest information available on gut health, from the biggest names and renowned experts in the gut health and wellness industry right now then read on.  

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