Archives for January, 2016

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No Comments January 30th, 2016 Recipes

Kale Crisps

 

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Kale Crisps
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Serves: 2
 

Like myself, you may not be the biggest fan of Kale, but I promise even the most hardened veggie-phobe will find these difficult to resist! You can make extra, but you will probably end up eating them all.
Ingredients
  • 70g (half a bag) of Kale
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • Pinch of Salt

Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 140 C
  2. Tear the kale off the stem and into bite sized pieces. Wash and dry it well.
  3. Mix the other ingredients in a large bowl. It will have a thick consistency
  4. Add the kale and use your hands to cover the kale with the dressing.
  5. Place on a baking tray on some parchment paper
  6. Put in the oven for approx. 15 – 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, check every 5 minutes until they are all crispy but not burnt.

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No Comments January 18th, 2016 Recipes

Porridge Bread

Oats are a superfood and are the best and cheapest of all breakfast cereals. They provide slow release energy as well as soluble fibre, which when eaten daily, can help lower your cholesterol by up to 20%. They also help regulate sugar metabolism. No flour or sugar is used to make this bread, so no bloating guaranteed. Top with your favourite toppings (some options are included below).

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Serves: 10
 

Ingredients
  • 1 x 500ml tub natural yoghurt
  • 2 tubs porridge oats (use the yoghurt pot as a measure)
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 100 ml milk (approx.)
  • Pinch of sea salt

Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 C (180 C for a fan assisted oven)
  2. Grease a 1 lb loaf tin and line with a strip of parchment paper
  3. Pour the yoghurt into a bowl
  4. Measure two tubs of porridge oats using the yoghurt pot and place in a bowl with the baking soda and salt.
  5. Add the yoghurt, milk and olive oil and mix well.
  6. The consistency could be dry, so you may need to add a little more milk.
  7. Place in the loaf tin and bake for approx. 1 hour. You can check if it is done by placing a skewer into the loaf. The skewer should come out more or less clean (not wet).
  8. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before removing and placing on a wire rack.

 

Sample Toppings

  • Hummus, pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley
  • Peanut butter and banana
  • Chopped beetroot, crumbled goats cheese, mixed with a spoon of greek yoghurt
  • Avocado, goats cheese, strawberries and black pepper
  • Tuna, crème fraiche, spring onion, lemon zest and capers
  • Prawns and avocado with a dollop of crème fraiche
  • Smoked salmon, cream cheese and chives
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No Comments January 15th, 2016 Blog

The Sugar Rush

This week, social media and office canteens were full of discussion on 2 health related programmes on RTE. Dr Eva’s “Sugar Crash” and Operation Transformation, which is back for another year.

While I was not a fan of Dr Eva, I did find her programme very interesting. She has also written some interesting articles on sugar in the Daily Mail recently. It was quite shocking to see a 4 year old having all of their teeth pulled out because they were rotten. Even more fascinating was that the child hardly ever ate sweets. The culprit? Apple Juice. Now it is possible that there were other factors in losing all of her teeth, but the key message was that we need to be aware of what is in our food. Check the labels for anything sugar related (sugar has over 60 different names such as sucrose, corn syrup, maltose, rice syrup, etc), and understand how much sugar can be in common products. For example, a kid’s carton of juice can have 4 teaspoons of sugar, a fruit yoghurt 7 teaspoons, and a can of coke 10 teaspoons.

Moving on to Operation Transformation. It is a program that really engages the nation and it is great to see people out exercising in groups. You have to credit the leaders for putting themselves out there. They have some great characters on this year’s show. In particular Dan, who is 44, lives at home with his Mammy and likes his pints with the lads. He gave up the pints, cut out the crap and  started some moderate exercise. The end result: he lost 12 pounds in 1 week.

So what can we take away from these programmes. The key messages were:

  • Avoid processed foods. If it is in a packet, it is probably not good for you.
  • Reduce your sugar intake. Learn to read the labels and avoid non-natural sources
  • Exercise regularly. Take the stairs or get out for a walk.
  • And moderate alcohol. Follow the recommended weekly allowances (and not all in one sitting!)

 

Sugar Crash is available on RTE player at http://www.rte.ie/player/ie/show/sugar-crash-30003820/10515448/ and Operation Transformation is on RTE1 on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

#sugarcrush #operationtransformation

 

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