Salad isn’t boring, it’s just chronically misunderstood; this recipe is a refresher on how to get the most out of your relationship with it! It’s a protein-packed dish which takes mere seconds to throw together and packs a host of flavours as well as some unusual textural surprises. It’s light, lean, nutritious and also works as a great post workout meal. For the piece de resistance, I’ve added some fresh, plump, juicy raspberries! The low GI sweetness of these little red cones compliments the crunchy textures and savoury flavours of the broader dish fabulously, and overall makes it taste fresher and lighter. What’s more, the colour renders the dish less drably green by introducing some visual variation to excite the eye as much as the taste buds! A beautiful, timely reminder that spring is on its way which is a big deal for us Swedes 🙂 I hope you love it too; on the off chance you prefer something more carby, I’ve provided an alternative ‘progression’ of the dish, invoking the timeless formula of the whole grain wrap… Click MORE for the full recipes and how-to… (more…)
Posts tagged 'fruit'
D.I.Y. NATURAL ICE LOLLIES!
Summer temperatures are upon us, and that brings with it the need for refreshment… these might well be the best ice lollies I’ve ever had! A bold claim, but to my defence, the ingredients are a collection of favourites; fresh fruits and berries – bursting with vitamins and minerals, plus they’re naturally sweet and delicious! The advantage over shop-bought products is that you KNOW they contain no preservatives, colourings, flavour enhancing chemicals or artificial bits – plus they’re totally fresh! These ice lollies are all-natural, super quick-and-easy to make, and are perfect for children and adults alike on a hot summers day! Click MORE to get the recipe, and for the chance to WIN YOUR OWN VITAMIX, the ultra high-performance blender, which I’m giving away to one lucky reader 🙂 … (more…)
CITRUS SALAD = ‘SUGAR RAT’ POISON !!!
The 7 days between 24th Dec and 1st Jan are dusted with a special kind of carefree frosting (aka sugar), but now the festivities are over, it’s time to regain control over the wild indulgence and revisit healthier eating habits such as portion control – normal service resumed! Mulled wine is no longer the main source of liquids, 6 deep-filled luxury mince pies aren’t ‘just a cheeky little snack’, and it’s harder to find an excuse to nap off the food coma in bed during the afternoons! To properly wean off the sweet stuff is a gradual process, so I like to take it one step at a time. A great starting point is this Citrus Fruit Salad which is super quick-and-easy to prepare, loaded with antioxidant Vitamin C compounds for an immune boost, and contains a wealth of other vitamins and minerals to see you back on the straight and narrow! Click MORE to get the why and how-to 🙂 (more…)
QUICK + EASY DESSERT DISCOVERY !!!
Just a quick little post to share a recent dessert epiphany. Like most people, I always seem to be time-poor in the evenings, and whilst I’ll invest some of that precious time into cooking a nutritious main course, I’m often after a quick-and-healthy dessert option that doesn’t keep me from my sleep! I stumbled across Urban Fruit on an amble through Waitrose looking for inspiration, and their packaging piqued my interest: ‘Just fruit, gently baked’ they claim. No preservatives, gluten free, with no added sugar… they just bake it to make it ‘easier to munch on the go’. Interesting… (more…)
SUMMER CRUNCH !!!
After last weekend’s “warm-wave” in London, our tame version of what everyone else calls summer is here, and what better way to enjoy the occasional sunshine than with a crisp, fresh and yummy juice?! This short post highlights one of my favourite juice recipes, the ‘Summer Crunch’ using spinach, raspberries, blueberries, cucumber and lime. A delicious and nutritious hit that’s quick and easy to throw together! Read it HERE… (more…)
FRESH SUMMER JUICE ???
I was recently invited to juice master Jason Vale‘s film premiere in Leicester Square, where I got the opportunity to sample his latest creation, Super Juice Me… In the docu-film, 8 chronically ill individuals go to live in a Portuguese retreat and subsist on Jason’s juice concoctions; through juicing, they try to tackle their ailments and improve their quality of life. It’s a fascinating film, and was very much an inspiring day, which got me fired up to make two of his quite delicious recipes – ‘The Berry Crunch’ (sumptuously sweet and perfect for someone with a little bit of a sweet tooth, like me perhaps) and ‘The Natural Energiser’ (a refreshingly zesty power-elixir to wake you up with a bolt!). Click MORE for the recipes…
TIME FOR THE JUICY GOSSIP – 10 OBSERVATIONS !!!
I’ve now completed my very first ‘5 day juice detox’ as part of the World’s Biggest Juice Detox event, and as you can see from the above pictures, they looked and tasted gorgeous! As I mentioned in my post last week when I set out on this venture, my ethos is to favour the long-term, sustainable and healthy lifestyle choice of eating clean for most of the time, aside from the occasional treat. ‘Diet’ is not a word I typically associate with nor do I cut out entire food groups; the last 5 days, in my book, have been extreme, but in the name of investigation I have guineapigged myself, as detoxing is such a controversial topic that evokes equal passion from its devotees and critics alike. Views vary from beneficial and essential, to dangerous and pointless…. Below are my 10 observations from the week, along with the thoughts of a qualified doctor and nutritionist. Enjoy! Faya x (more…)
FITNESS ON JUICE – I’M DOING DETOX WEEK !!!
ETHOS: To tackle this at the outset, I don’t associate with the word ‘diet’ because of all the unrealistic and futile notions it conjures up. Regular readers of Fitness On Toast will know that I favour the long-term, sustainable and healthy lifestyle choice of eating clean for most of the time, and indulging in the odd treat on occasion. But between today, 13th January, and Friday 17th, I’ve been asked by Philips to take part in “The World’s Biggest Juice Detox”, which will involve me giving up on solids!
SCANDAL WAIVER: I’m not undertaking this ‘detox diet’ because I want to “lose 5lb in 5 days” as the literature implores. Neither am I looking to enter the controversy around whether it’s healthy to sustain the body on what is essentially just nutrient-infused fructose (fruit sugar). I recognise there are benefits and disbenefits, but that’s not what I’m after here. I am undertaking this in the spirit of discovery, to find out whether I feel a perceptible difference in myself by consuming only assorted blends of juices 6x a day. It’s an experiment that might very well (more…)
MINCE PIES OUT; EXOTIC FRUIT SALAD IN !!!
Time to come clean; I’m a typical ‘December human-being’, and whilst I’ve stuck to my healthy eating as well as maintained my training, the portion sizes have been way too big and there have been a few too many Christmas treats; “I’m craving sugar right now, far more than I did before Christmas“. If that sounds familiar, here’s an exotic fruit salad to help ween you (and some friends – its pretty, so why not entertain with it!) off the festive sugar. Banished are the leftover mince pies, and taking their place is something altogether more natural and nourishing. Whilst a large amount of the 200 calories (per quarter of a portion of fruit this salad) are from sugar, they’re natural, fibrous, hydrating and packed with minerals and vitamins. “Which”, you say? (more…)
“WILL FRUIT MAKE ME FAT ???”
In moderation, and the right type, no! I’m marking the change of seasons with some yummy winter berries. This healthy dessert should satisfy your sweet tooth (guilty!), whilst offering plenty of nutritional value too. I’m regularly asked whether ‘fruit will make you fat because of the sugar content’; true, too much of any type of sugar is bad news. However chomping on the right fruit (like these berries) means you’re not only eating fructose (the lowest-GI form of sugar with a glycemic index of 19, versus a glass of apple juice at 30, table sugar at 65, and glucose at 100), but also enjoying other benefits like fibre (helps digestion) & plenty of vitamins and minerals. By chewing solid food and metabolising it slowly (rather than drinking it straight into your bloodstream) you suffer less of a blood sugar spike. I’d rather have a delicious, beautiful, tasty, bowl of fresh berries with nutritional value including some protein (thanks to the yoghurt, plenty of calcium & vitamin-B too) than a dry cardboard biscuit that claims to be ‘low in sugar’.
The purpose of this berry dish is to promote the intake of… (more…)