I’ve been pretty slack on the breakfast front lately, and have been alternating between a protein smoothie and yoghurt and granola. Both are delicious and high in protein but well, it was all getting a bit samey. Overnight oats are such a favourite of mine as I can chuck it all together the night before and breakfast is there and waiting for me in the morning. This vanilla protein overnight oats is a new addition to my repertoire but it’s definitely one I’ll be adding to the breakfast rota.

Serves 2:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats
• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I use OMG! NO WHEY by Kin – a great tasting vegan protein powder)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 3 cups oat milk
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together (I use a big Tupperware container or Kilner jar), cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. In the morning, add milk/water to loosen. Top with berries/almonds/granola/whatever you fancy. That’s the beauty of overnight oats. They are just so versatile and you can mix and match depending on what you fancy!

For more overnight oat ideas see here and here!

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Enter, KIN. KIN add probiotics (good gut bacteria) and fibre to their WHEY-LESS protein powder range which makes it much gentler on the stomach, and thus easier to digest. It’s rare that I am truly taken by a product but I have been genuinely impressed by their product range.

Taste and Texture

I have been through my fair share of powdery and gritty protein powders that were full of artificial sweeteners and tasted nothing like they said they would. It is therefore SO refreshing to find a product that delivers on both taste and texture. When it comes to mixing protein powders with just water, texture is right up there on my importance list and I doubt you will find a smoother blend than this one (I’ve mixed with water in a shaker bottle, and with my nutribullet).

My personal favourite is the WHEY-LESS Choc Mint because it actually tastes like mint choc chip ice cream, which is pure heaven. Not only that, it contains 125 calories, 23g of protein and only 4.7g of carbohydrates (of which 0.2 g are sugars). This is perfect to hit your protein requirements without adding excessive carbohydrates.

If you’re on the hunt for a new protein powder, especially if you have struggled to digest one before, I couldn’t recommend KIN enough.

The post Product Review – KIN WHEY-LESS Protein Powder appeared first on Neema Savvides | Fertility Nutrition.

Serves 1:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1.5 cups oat milk
• Pinch of salt
• 1 scoop protein powder ( I use the OMG! NO WHEY Vanilla protein powder by Kin)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 heaped teaspoon peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon macca
• Toppings of your choice – I used pomegranate and bee pollen

Directions:

1. Cook oats with oat milk according to packet instructions and add a pinch of salt
2. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and mix well (you may need to add more milk to loosen)
3. Serve in a bowl and top with whatever you fancy!

This works really well as overnight oats too!

The post Peanut Butter Protein Porridge appeared first on Neema Savvides | Fertility Nutrition.

Hopefully, you can forgive me with these ‘so easy to throw together you might actually be considered a proper baker’ muffins.

The husband fancied some kind of chocolate fix, and ever the diligent partner (and control freak when it comes to the kitchen) I gladly stepped in (this benefits me hugely as I know I can create something pretty good without any unnecessary sugars). The bananas provide the sweetness so no added sugar is needed (er, although they do have dark chocolate chips which makes them a teensy bit decadent, but hey, life’s about balance eh? You could substitute the dark chocolate for vegan chocolate if you wanted to. Straight out the oven with the chocolate melting and gooey peanut butter centre makes this one of my most favourite happy accidents to date. Please do give them a go and let me know you think!

Prep time: 15 mins

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The beauty of overnight oats is that there’s no exact precision when it comes to making it.  The basic rule of thumb is one part oats to one part liquid.   That aside, you can pretty much add what ever ingredients that take your fancy.

These will keep in the fridge covered for 3 days, although you may need to add some more milk to loosen it.

Serves 3

Ingredients:

The post Raspberry overnight oats appeared first on Neema Savvides | Fertility Nutrition.

Whenever I’m making it, I think ‘why don’t I make this more often?’. And then I remember. Making pancakes is a messy job. 5 minutes to whizz up all the ingredients. And then somehow in the making process I seem to get the batter EVERYWHERE. All over the kitchen, the walls, the surfaces, me.

No fun.

I am in awe of American families who make 10,000 of these for breakfast and make it look so easy. How do they do that? It takes me about 5000 hours hours to cook the entire lot.  If you have any tips for me please do share!

Moving on. These are my favourite pancakes to date. I used my standard recipe and added some peanut butter to the mix – DIVINE! I hope your pancake flipping skills are much better than mine.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 1 cup gluten free oats
• 2 medium sized ripe bananas
• 2 medium eggs
• 240g cottage cheese
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• Oat milk to thin to desired consistency

Directions:

1. Blitz all the ingredients together (I used my NutriBullet)
2. Melt butter/coconut oil over a medium flame
3. Spoon two tablespoons of batter onto the pan (I use food rings to keep the pancakes contained)
4. Cook for a few minutes then flip over and cook until done.
5. Serve with whatever takes your fancy – bananas and berries work really well or some dark chocolate chips if you’re feeling fancy!

Disclaimer: That makes it sounds SO easy! Don’t be disheartened if yours end up a bit crap, or a bit burnt, or not round. I always ruin the first few until I get into a bit of a groove (yes I still ate them). The main thing is that they will still taste amazing, are full of protein, have no refined sugar and are gluten free. Winner.

The post Peanut Butter Pancakes appeared first on Neema Savvides | Fertility Nutrition.

Over-ripe, about to die bananas make the best banana bread, so don’t ever throw them away.  This is a doddle to make, and will make you look like quite the accomplished baker (even when you’re not – like me – hah!).

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 ripe, medium bananas (the more the merrier I say), mashed
• 2 eggs, large
• 1/2 cup organic peanut butter (I used salted, smooth peanut butter but any would do). Almond butter would work well too
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted (can substitute for coconut oil too)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 1/4 cup agave/honey (optional)
• 1 cup of gluten free oats, ground (I use my nutribullet but any kind of blender/food processor will do)
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of sea salt
• Handful of dark chocolate chips (optional)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 175°C (I use a fan oven)
2. Line a standard loaf pan (9 x 5 ) with baking parchment (this makes for super easy removal of the banana bread, alternatively you could oil the pan)
3. In a large bowl mix together the oats, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt
4. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, banana, peanut butter, vanilla essence, butter and agave/honey (if using)
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and gently stir to combine (be careful not to over mix)
6. Gently fold in the chocolate chips if using
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until set in the centre and a knife/tooth pick comes out clean.  It’s easy to burn this so keep an eye on it!
8. Let it cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes before moving to a wire rack to let cool completely (although this almost never happens – there is little else that makes me happier that warm banana bread with melting chocolate chips in the middle!)
9. Dig in!
10. This stores well in an airtight container for up to a week, although ours tends to get devoured way before then.

Additional notes:

This mix also works well as muffins. Instead of filling a loaf pan, divide the batter into muffin cases in a muffin tray and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife runs clear. This batter makes about 14 muffins.

The post Gluten Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread appeared first on Neema Savvides | Fertility Nutrition.

What a pleasant surprise that was.

The spinach gave the pesto a deliciously thick and creamy texture, making it taste so decadent.  This has been firmly added to my rota of go to recipes.

Ingredients:

• 1 large handful of spinach
• 1 large bunch of basil leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (plus a few extra to serve
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Pinch of sea salt

Method:

Blitz all the ingredients together in a food processor or nutribullet.  I used my nutribullet and you may need to stop a few times and scrape down the ingredients. Add a little water if the mixture gets too thick.  Spread on toasted rye bread, toss with butternut squash noodles, courgetti or spoon straight in your mouth, I won’t judge you!

The post Spinach Pesto appeared first on Neema Savvides | Fertility Nutrition.

The New Year is the perfect time to start afresh, especially with your eating habits that may have gone slightly awry over the last few weeks.

It’s always such an excessive time isn’t? There’s no other season that makes it ok to stuff your face. But that’s life, and it’s always about balance, so I hope you’ve had a good time doing it!

That said, it’s always nice to get back on track as there’s only so much one can consume in those quantities, so if you’re feeling the after effects of the festive season (I know I am!) then a few simple changes can really help you to feel back to your perky best.

This isn’t about making drastic changes, although if that’s what you fancy, then go for it.  This is more of a quick way to help your body cut down on any excesses, aid detoxification, reduce any sluggishness and to give you more energy.

1. Sip smart

Swap your morning latte for a cup of antioxidant rich green tea, a cup of hot water with lemon or a green juice/smoothie.

Whilst caffeine can give you a superficial boost, it actually places a stress on your system leaving you feeling drained and craving more caffeine for another boost of energy.

It’s a vicious circle. Hot water and lemon is a common cleanser, and a green juice is packed full of nutritious vegetables, helping to restore diminished nutrient stores.

Dehydration is likely so remember to keep sipping on water throughout the day.

2.  Reduce your sugar intake

Alcohol, cakes, chocolate, mince pies…  December is packed full of them and eventually they will zap your energy (as well as becoming addictive).

You need to come off this sugar rollercoaster by cutting these out.  Your digestive system, skin and energy levels will thank you.

3. Think clean, lean and green

Tis the season of heavy, rich and unprocessed foods.  Give your body a break by avoiding these (including red meat and wheat) and stick to whole, natural and unprocessed foods.

Smoothies like this and soups are a great alternative to heavy meals and provide your body with a much needed nutritional boost.

Alternatively, lean meats, poultry, fish, leafy green vegetables, brown rice and quinoa are always a good bet.

4. Stick to 3 meals a day plus 1 snack

Eating constantly throughout the day with little break places a HUGE burden on the digestive system.

If you are constantly metabolising food it leaves little time for any other essential functions like detoxifying, cleansing, recovery and repair.

Sticking to a schedule of three meals plus a snack or two allows your body to be able to fully digest your food and concentrate on the other important functions as well as healing.

5. Move your body

This doesn’t have to be a super intense workout (although it won’t hurt if you’re up to it!), as your body might require something a bit more gentle, but anything to get the heart pumping, muscles moving and blood really circulating.

Sometimes moving in a restorative way like yoga, hiking or cycling means you’re able to release tension from your body in more restorative way, aiding recovery and repair.

6. Sleep well and often

It’s likely you’ve been burning the candle at both ends and the cost of this is always sleep.  Even if you have been sleeping longer hours, consuming alcohol means that the quality of your sleep is compromised.

Get to bed earlier, switch off from technology and get some much needed R&R.

The post 6 Quick Detox Tips appeared first on Neema Savvides | Fertility Nutrition.

This is a great post workout smoothie as the banana (carbohydrate) helps the body to absorb the protein powder more efficiently.

Having protein with every meal and snack is really important to help balance blood sugar levels, manage energy levels and balance hormones.

Serves one.

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond milk
• 1 scoop Vega Sport Performance protein powder in vanilla
• 1/2 frozen banana
• Handful raspberries
• Dash of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds

Method

Mix all together in a nutribullet or blender and voila.  Add more almond milk accordingly if you like your smoothies thinner (I prefer mine on the thicker side).

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