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.

Curry’s are very much a part of my culture, and I’ve got to admit I much prefer vegetable based ones these days as they have so much flavour and added goodness.

Good food that tastes good too.

This dish came about rather randomly, as it’s not made in the traditional way.  I had a whole load of root vegetables that needed to be cooked, and so in the oven they went, without much thought of what I was going to do with them after. I had to make something for my 11 month old, and had some chickpeas in the larder, and thus decided to make a curry with it all.

This is the grown up version with more spice and added salt (although if you wanted to make it for the kids I usually just add a pinch of turmeric and some ground cumin for flavour).

If you can manage to wait, let the whole thing sit for a couple of hours (or even better, overnight) as it tastes even better when all the flavours have soaked in.

Ingredients:

• 2 x 400g tins of chickpeas, rinsed and drained, with any loose skins removed and discarded
• Selection of sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips and sweet red peppers, diced (2 of each will suffice)
• 1 large handful spinach, washed
• 2 large cinnamon sticks
• 1 large red onion
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 inch root ginger, minced/grated (top tip – In the supermarkets you can find frozen cubes of garlic and ginger – I always have these to hand)
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons medium curry powder
• Pinch of ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon chilli powder (or adjust to suit your tastes)
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin powder
• 1/4 – 1/2 litre vegetable stock (depending on whether you like your curry thick or runny – I prefer mine on the thicker side)
• 2 tablespoons chopped tomatoes (tinned or fresh)
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons coconut cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander (to serve)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C
2. Place the vegetables on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 30-40 minutes or until tender (watch they don’t burn!)
3. Whilst the vegetables are roasting, heat a little olive oil in a medium saucepan over a low/medium heat and add the garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, onion and stir continuously until the onion is translucent
4. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes if using and the remaining spices and stir to coat.  Let the spices cook for a couple of minutes
5. Add the vegetable stock and simmer for 20-30 minutes (you can gently ‘mash’ the chickpeas with a potato masher to soften them a little, which also helps the chickpeas absorb the flavour of the spices. Taste and adjust seasoning as required
6. Add the roasted vegetables once they are ready, add the spinach and let simmer for 5 minutes (you don’t want them to simmer for too long otherwise they will over cook and go mushy)
7. Turn the heat off, stir in the coconut cream, top with coriander and serve.

I can happily eat this on its own, but it would also work well served with some cauliflower pilau rice, or good old fashioned brown rice. Enjoy.

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

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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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The trick is not to over crowd them otherwise they steam and go soggy, and to keep an eye on them as the burn easily (as I soon found out when my first batch were on the charred side!).

Kale is PACKED full of antioxidants, LOADED with Vitamin C, Vitamin K, minerals AND is good for the heart.  It’s an all-round winner.

Ingredients:

• 1 small bunch of kale
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• Handful of sesame seeds
• Squeeze of lemon
• Pinch of sea salt (or 1 tablespoon light soy sauce)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 95°C
2. Rinse the kale and thoroughly dry with a kitchen towel (better yet, use a salad spinner if you have one)
3. Tear the leaves from the stems into 4/5 inch pieces
4. Drizzle over the oils, sesame seeds, lemon juice and salt/soy sauce.  Toss together ensuring each leaf has been coated evenly
5. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, and arrange the leaves in a single layer, ensuring they are evenly spaced and not too close together
6. Bake for 15 minutes, turn over and continue to bake for another 5 minutes, then enjoy!

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Start here with my top 10 tips for a happy, healthy, heart!

1. Quit smoking

Smoking is most associated with an increased risk of cancer, however did you know that smokers are twice as likely to have a heart attack than non smokers? There’s so much support out there with patches, e-cigarettes and the smoking ban that there’s never been an easier time to quit.

2. Watch your weight

Obesity and heart disease go hand-in-hand, and being overweight increases your risk of developing diabetes and high blood pressure.

Avoid foods that are high in sugar and fat like processed foods, cakes and biscuits, and increase your intake of oily fish, brightly coloured and green leafy vegetables.

On the flip side, just because you are of a ‘healthy’ weight, doesn’t mean you’re not at risk – you can still have high cholesterol levels and be at risk for developing heart disease and diabetes.

3. Reduce your alcohol intake

Excessive alcohol intake = raised blood pressure = heart attack/stroke.  Alcohol can damage the heart muscle and lead to weight gain.

The recommend units per day are 3-4 units for men and 2-3 for women – although I suggest  no more than 1-2 units per day and ensure you have at least 3-4 alcohol free days per week.

4. Exercise!

Did you know that women who exercise regularly reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease 30 to 40 percent?! Your heart is a muscle and exercise keeps it fit and strong to help it pump blood around the body. Exercise also improves your overall health, reduces cholesterol levels, helps you to manage your weight and alleviate stress. Aim for at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise (the heart pumping, out of breath kind) 5 times a week.

5. Reduce your sugar intake

You may have received a large box of choccies today, however before your dive in and devour those love hearts be warned – high sugar diets can lead to diabetes, which is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke.  Avoid refined sugars found in cakes, biscuits, processed foods, cereals, etc and maintain blood sugar balance by eating small regular meals and snacks throughout the day, each with a balance of protein, vegetables, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates.

6. Reduce salt intake

A diet rich in salt can cause high blood pressure which increases the risk of heart disease.  Processed foods are the biggest culprits so steer clear of these (ready meals, crisps, pizzas, tinned foods, etc).

7. See your GP: Know your numbers:

Blood pressure

High blood pressure = shorter life expectancy, so get down to your GP and get tested.  Blood pressure readings are measured using pressure readings: systolic (the top number) and diastolic (the bottom number).

Top number (systolic): ‘When your heart beats, it contracts and pushes blood through the arteries to the rest of your body.  This force creates pressure on the heart and is called systolic blood pressure.’

• Under 120 = normal
• 120 – 139 = borderline/pre-hypertention
• Over 140 = hypertension/high blood pressure

Bottom number (Diastolic):  ‘The diastolic blood pressure number (bottom number) indicates the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats’

• Under  80 = normal
• 80 – 89 = prehypertension
• Over 90 =  hypertension or high blood pressure.

Cholesterol

Whilst cholesterol is required for some basic bodily functions, high levels of cholesterol in the blood can lead to fatty deposits in your coronary arteries that increase your risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and diseases that affect  circulation.

Your total cholesterol (TC) should be 5.0 mmol/L or less

8. Eat heart friendly foods

Brightly coloured and green leafy vegetables and  healthy fats found in salmon, mackerel, sardines, olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds are full of heart protecting antioxidants (they help to fight damage caused by free oxidising radicals).  Oats, beans and pulses are all high in fibre which can help lower cholesterol levels.

9. Stay hydrated

Keeping the body hydrated helps the heart easily pump blood through the blood vessels to the muscles, therefore the more hydrated you are, the less hard your heart has to work.

10. Live, love, laugh and be happy

A happy heart is a healthy heart as stress can increase blood pressure.  Being unable to manage stress levels is a sure fire way of leading you astray resulting in unhealthy heart habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol and eating nutritionally void foods.  Manage your stress, surround yourself with people who make you feel good, love your job and love your life.  Simples 🙂

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