Originally posted on 2 January 2015, I revamped this recipe a bit – added a few better/extra photos! Sugar-free Tomato and Apple Chutney
Breakfast
Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds – 3 variations
Okay, so after falling off the ‘healthy eating’ wagon for a good couple of months, I haved decided to pull myself up by my bootstraps AGAIN! And again realising that planning and prep is EVERYTHING. Otherwise it is so easy to eat all kinds of nonsense.
Yes, here I go again with my overnight oats! 🙂
I did it slightly different this time around – made a batch without adding any fruit, etc – simply because I didn’t know by how much the chia seeds will expand. So I made an ‘oats mix’ batch and then divided it into 3 portions – and added fresh fruit and nuts on the day 🙂 So it works great if you don’t have time to prep breakfast every day.
So, here is the ‘basic’ mix:
90g raw oats
175ml fat free plain yogurt
250ml fat free milk
15ml chia seeds
Mix it all together and leave overnight in the fridge. If the mixture is too stiff, add a bit of milk the next day.
Day 1: added freshly pureed pear and almonds (yes, crappy photo/filter) – ‘pear’ doesn’t photograph well!
Day 2: With Blueberries – simply added a handful of blackberries – easy peasy 🙂
Day 3: Layered with caramelised nectarines (sprinkled with a liiiiitle bit of brown sugar and honey), and topped with a bit of nuts and honey. Can’t get any easier!
Omelette in a Wrap!
Quick n healthy omelette
1 egg plus 2 egg whites, salt and pepper to taste and a sprinkling of Chipotle seasoning (Woolies), lightly beaten. Pour in small non-stick pan on a medium heat. Turn over once set at bottom. And that is it!
Serve in a wrap with lots of lettuce and a dash of mayo, Tabasco or sriracha!
PS: If you dont have Chipotle seasoning, add a sprinkling of cayenne pepper and smoked paprika!
Smoooooth Smoothies!
I love smoothies! It is quick and easy snack or even meal (breakfast! yay!) And it is a very convenient way to get your fruit and veg servings in one go. I dreaaaam of a Nutribullet (Dear Santa… is it too early to ask… promise I will be GOOD!), but for now, my little stick blender does the trick!
First up – Banana and Mango smoothie.
What I omitted when I made this one was some crushed ice (was in too much of a hurry!), but you can definitely add some. I used frozen banana though, it also help to coooool your drink.
1 banana (frozen if you are prepared!), peeled and cut into chunks
1 mango, peeled and cut into chunks (I know it is more expensive, but I prefer to buy mangos prepared already, what a mess to clean!)
100ml vanilla yogurt
100ml fat free yogurt
And now, a short cut to tropical goodness – 1 few drops of coconut essence.
Blitz and enjoy!
Don’t you just love these tiki glasses?? Got it from Mr Price Home – got get some 🙂
Banana and Apricot smoothie
Yes, there is a theme – I believe that all smoothies MUST have at least one banana in! Especially if you want to enjoy a filling and smooooth drink.
And as above – I use a mix of milk and yogurt, otherwise it may be too thick or too thin!
So the only difference – I replaced the mango with 4 apricots. Lovely and sweet!
And that is smoothies for you – you can mix up your fruit options, maybe even add some veggies, like spinach or celery. For a more filling breakfast, mix in a portion of raw oats or All Bran flakes!
Veggie Breakfast Scramble
Yes, a ‘non-traditional’ option for breakfast, but I must admit, I am a little ‘cerealed’ out. I know that I can have eggs, lean bacon, etc for breakfast as well, but I prefer to keep my protein portions for a little later during the day. And, I woke up with a CRAVING for veggies 🙂 So why not incorporate it into the most important meal of the day? 😀 Used mostly ‘free’ veggies as well.
I discovered some sweet potato ‘noodles’ at Food Lovers Market, but you can just use grated sweet potato or use a spiraliser, if you’ve got one? I got my spiraliser at Clicks, very affordable and adds a lot of fun on your plate! 🙂 Okay, here goes:
80g sweet potato noodles (‘normal’ grated potato will work great as well!) – I pre-cooked it in the microwave for about 4 minutes.
80g zucchini (baby marrow) noodles (saw it is available at Woolies and Foodlovers’, maybe a few other places as well – these I just made using my spiraliser)
50g leeks, thinly sliced
50g yellow pepper, chopped
100g chopped tomato
100ml veggie stock
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sweet Chili Sauce
Add all the veggies except the sweet potato in a saucepan, together with the veggie stock and bring to boil. Cook for a couple of minutes until tomato is soft. Stir in sweet potato noodles, season and cook for another minute or so. Serve with a drollop of sweet chili sauce.
1 Serve = 1 CC and 1 Veg
Eggs in Hell! (eggs in spicy tomato sauce)
Always looking for quick and easy weeknight dinner ideas because on most evenings I only get home between 18.00 and 19.00.
Came across this recipe and just loved the name! LOL! Recipe found on “The Cooking Jar” and tweaked and prepared with love by Hubby 🙂
10ml olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste
6 large eggs (recipe serves 6 if 1 egg each, or 3 if 2 eggs each)
fresh coriander and fresh bread to serve (I had mine on a slice of toast)
Saute onions, garlic and jalapenos and cook until soft.
Add tinned tomatoes and spices and bring to a gentle simmer
Lower heat and crack eggs one at a time and simmer until cooked – for runny yolks about 5 – 6 minutes, a little longer for harder egg yolks.
Remove from heat and serve with fresh breadrolls or toast, with fresh coriander.
Breakfast Barley
We often get stuck on what to have for breakfast that is a little ‘different’. Somedays I really don’t feel like another bowl of brand name cereal or a slice of toast with whatever…. 🙂
Keep forgetting that we can actually use any grain as a breakfast option – quinoa, couscous, brown rice and BARLEY! 🙂 So this is my version of ‘comfort food’ for breakfast. Will work great with brown rice as well 🙂
75g cooked barley (I cooked a big batch last night, froze it into individual portions to be used in my meals during the next week or so, so look out for a few ‘barley’ recipes coming up!)
125ml fat free milk
20g raisins
1 cinnamon stick
5ml honey for serving
Gently simmer barley, raisins and cinnamon stick until barley is more ‘mushy’ and most of the milk is reduced/evaporated.
Serve with honey and enjoy!
Serves 1: 1.5 CC, 1/2 milk, 1 Fruit
Breakfast wrap with Balsamic Tomatoes & Feta
2 egg whites – make scrambled eggs by cooking eggs, while continiously stirring, in a pan treated with non-stick cooking spray
Balsamic Tomatoes
25g sliced red onions
75g cherry tomatoes
25ml balsamic vinegar
In a small saucepan, add onions and tomatoes and enough hot water to cook in. Simmer for about 10min until soft. Add balsamic vinegar, increase heat and cook on medium to high heat until balsamic has reduced to a thick syrup. Mash tomatoes with a fork and set aside.
Make up wrap by using 1 WL wrap (1 CC), topping it with fresh lettuce, scrambled egg whites (1/2 Prot), balsamic tomatoes (1 Veg) and 15g low fat feta (1/2 Prot).
A yummy breakfast to end 2015 with!
French Toast in a Mug
A lovely Mother’s Day treat! 🙂
French Toast in a Mug
Serves 1 = 1CC, ¼ Milk, 1 Prot, 1 Fruit
1.5 slices Albany Ultima Bread, cut into bite sized pieces
¼ cup fat free milk
1 egg
¼ teaspoon mixed spice
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
A pinch of salt
1 sachet sweetener
20g raisins
In a microwavable mug, mix egg, milk, honey, spices, raisins and salt together well (otherwise the egg will separate). Add bread pieces and press it down until submerged within the liquid. Microwave for 2 minutes in total – stopping every 30 seconds for 10 seconds (so that it doesn’t boil over) – make sure you use a large enough mug. Let it cool for a couple of minutes, sprinkling additional cinnamon on top if preferred.
On-the-Go Oats n Apple Bites (Muffins)
On-the-Go Oats n Apple Bites
100g raw oats
2 TBS wholewheat flour
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
250ml apple sauce (home made – cook 500g apples, with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon in about 500ml water until soft and water is reduced, you will use about 1/2 of this. Store brought apple sauce is also okay, just check the added sugar content)
125ml fat free milk
10ml honey
A pinch of salt
Mix all ingredients together.
Pour in muffin pan and bake in pre-heated oven at 180C for 25 – 30 minutes. I topped it with chopped apple.
Makes 8 ‘muffins’ – about 1 CC, ¼ fruit and ¼ milk each.
Can be frozen. Handy as ‘grab and go’ snacks, picnic treats, etc.
It smelled and look so yummy, our puggie boy – Gorgeous George tried to convince me to share using some emotional blackmail 🙂 I was strong enough to resist it! 😀
Add-in suggestions (optional): Nuts, raisins, cranberries, mashed banana (use less apple sauce), cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.