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Hello! I’m Frances and I'm delighted you’ve found The Blushing Beetroot. This is my first ever attempt at blog writing and I’m so excited to be able to share some of my healthy food creations with you.
I’m a full time mum of two little ones. I find I’m cooking so much now and experimenting a lot with different foods and dishes that I’d like to record and share them with you. Also it gives me something to keep my brain from going totally rusty!!
Tag Archives: breakfast
Super Green Smoothie
I got my husband a nutri bullet for his birthday last month and we’re really lovin it. It’s such as easy way to get greens into your diet in a tasty and raw way. You don’t really think you’re drinking down a whole portion of spinach or whatever green you choose. I generally try to add fruits not high on the GI scale like grapefruit or berries as I’m trying to watch my sugar intake. These smoothies are quick to make and give you a great burst of energy. My husband used to be a big meat eater but he’s reaching for his morning smoothie now instead of eggs or meat as he feels much more invigorated and more alert. I hope you get to make the switch one morning from your regular breakfast and try this smoothie to see how different your energy levels change and alertness improves.
I wanted to also say, as a newcomer to blog writing since October 2014, I’m thoroughly enjoying the recording of my culinary creations. However unexpectedly, the most difficult part of preparing a post is the photo taking.
With two young enthusiastic children with keen appetites, trying to assemble the photographic scene without anything being disturbed is nearly impossible. I’m posting a series of photos to demonstrate my trials and tribulations of photographing food. Enjoy!
Portion – 1
Ingredients
• a handful of kale or spinach
• half grape fruit- peeled and sliced into segments
•one kiwi peeled and sliced
• half an avocado- flesh scoped out
• small banana
• water
Method
Place all the ingredients into the nutri bullet and whizz until fully blended.
Anytime Guacamole!
Anytime Guacamole
I used to think guacamole was solely a dip. A luscious, green, creamy dip to scoop a salty nacho into or to be added to a hungry looking enchilada. How wrong I was! By chance I discovered that guacamole is very versatile and can be spread on toast for a satisfying breakfast, can be used as a creamy addition to a rice dish, used as a sandwich filling with crunchy cos leaves or used in the traditional manner as a dip. Most people have their own way to produce the perfect guacamole, add red onion or not, maybe some chopped tomatoes, chillies, or coriander, there are numerous possibilities. Here I’m keeping it simple but deliciously moreish. . . .
Prep – 5 minutes
Portions – 2
Ingredients
2 avocados mashed
1-2 garlic cloves
Juice 1 lime
Salt & pepper
1 plum tomato chopped optional
Chilli flakes optional
Method
Mix the avocado, garlic, lime juice and salt & pepper together in a bowl and your done!
Here’s the juicy bit . . .
Fats can be categorised as 1) trans fats or hydrogenated fats 2) saturated fats and 3) unsaturated
Trans fats are man made unnatural fats and should be avoided. Hydrogen atoms are added to a fat through a process which alters its natural chemical makeup in order to give it a longer shelf life. You’ll find trans fats in foods like pre packaged cookies, pastries and margarine.
Saturated fats are mainly found in meat and dairy products. These fats can increase ‘bad cholesterol’ AKA low density lipoprotein or LDL. Cholesterol can raise blood pressure and lead to hardening of arteries among other conditions. Saturated fats are best limited in your diet.
Unsaturated fats are found mainly in plant sources. They have a range of health benefits as they help increase good cholesterol AKA high density lipoprotein HDL and decrease LDL thereby reducing cholesterol. These fats are further divided in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated depending on their chemical makeup. Omega fats, 3 and 6 are examples of polyunsaturated fats and are essential in our diet as we can’t make these fatty acids.
Avocados are rich in oleic acid which is an omega 9 fat. These are monounsaturated fats. Oleic acid is also found in olives and olive oil. Since oleic acid comes under the unsaturated fats category its health benefits include reducing LDL and increasing HDL. It’s also has anti inflammatory properties which helps reduce inflammatory conditions in the body like arthritis. Avocados also contain vitamin E which benefits the skin, fibre and antioxidants.
Homemade muesli
This is possibly the easiest recipe I’m going to post. Why? Because there’s only 2 minutes of cooking! You then simply mix together all your chosen ingredients and enjoy. Couldn’t be easier. With a homemade muesli you get to pick and choose the exact combination of grains, seeds, nuts and dried fruit that you like. Too often shop bought muesli has too much added sugar, dried fruits preserved in sulphur dioxide or added sunflower oil. This muesli is clean, healthy and gluten free . Enjoy with a splash of organic milk ( dairy or non dairy) or give making your own almond milk a go! Post to follow soon!
Portion – 1
Prep – 5 minutes
Cooking- 2 minutes
Ingredients
• 1 tbsp gluten free oats.
• 2 tbsp buckwheat flakes.
• 1 tbsp desiccated or flaked coconut.
• 1 tbsp mixed seeds. (I used pumpkin and sunflower).
• 1 tbsp mixed nuts. ( I used almonds, walnuts, cashew and Brazil).
• 10 g dark chocolate snipped into nibs.
• 2 dates finely chopped.
• 1/4 – 1/2 apple coarsely grated.
• pinch of cinnamon if desired.
• handful of blueberries.
• 1-2 tbsp flaked almonds.
Method
Place the flaked almonds into a frying pan without oil and dry fry for 1-2 minutes until golden.
Mix all ingredients together. Transfer into your breakfast bowl and enjoy with milk of your choice.
Here’s the juicy bit . . . .
Buckwheat is a fantastic wholegrain. By wholegrain I mean it has not been stripped of its nutrients. It still has the bran layer where all the fibre is found. The germ is also intact and here’s where you’ll get the nutrients eg vitamins and minerals. Nowadays too many carbohydrates have been refined. White rice and white pasta are two common examples. These are stripped of the bran layer and the germ leaving only minimal nutrients from the starchy endosperm.
Buckwheat is gluten free. Gluten is a sticky protein which a lot of people find difficult to digest. It can irritate the lining of your digestive system and reduce the absorption of nutrients thereby leaving some people deficient in certain nutrients. If you are gluten sensitive or intolerant it’s important you avoid foods containing gluten. There are a number of foods which contain gluten but wheat, barley and rye are the biggest offenders.
Buckwheat is high in B group vitamins which are water soluble and cannot be stored in the body. This group of vitamins have a wide and varied list of functions ranging from aiding in the breakdown of carbohydrates, fats and proteins and thereby enabling the body to gain energy from their metabolism. B vitamins also have a role to play in the production of hormones and producing blood cells to name but a few important roles.
Goodness gracious Granola!
Goodness Gracious Granola
At the weekend I like to indulge in this luxurious breakfast. Sometimes I find shop bought granola a little heavy to digest. The coconut oil and maple syrup in this recipe is the perfect balance for me, not too heavy or sweet and packed with flavour, very satisfying. My husband who loves his hearty breakfasts gave this the thumbs up! Feel free to use whatever nuts and seeds of your preference and don’t feel restricted by this recipe but I feel the combination of flavours on the recipe below works really well.
Prep time – 10 mins.
Cooking time – 25mins.
Serves – 2 portions.
Ingredients –
•100g oats
• 50g pecan nuts
• 50g hazelnuts
• 25g pumpkin seeds
• 50g cranberries
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1tbsp almond butter
• Pinch cinnamon
Pre heat your fan oven to 190C. Line a baking dish with baking paper.
Put your oats, nuts, seeds, cinnamon, maple syrup and almond butter in a mixing bowl. Place the coconut oil in a small pan and melt over a gentle heat to melt. This should take around one minute and then add to the oat mixture.
Mix all the ingredients well to ensure the oat mixture is coated with the oil, syrup and butter. Once mixed, transfer to your prepared baking dish and bake for 10 minutes.
Stir the granola at 10 minutes and 20 minutes to ensure the nuts don’t burn. Add your cranberries at 20 minutes to prevent them burning and this ensures they retain their attractive ruby red, jewel like appearance.
Once cooked and your granola is crunchy, allow to cool. Then transfer to an air tight container and enjoy as a hearty breakfast or add to a yoghurt or smoothie for a tasty topping.
Here’s the juicy bit. . .
Pumpkin seeds are a great source of essential fatty acids (EFAs), vitamin E, iron, calcium and magnesium. The membrane of each cell in your body is made up of a phospholipid bilayer ( a fatty layer). This membrane controls the passage of nutrients into and out of the cell. Essential nutrients in, waste products out. By keeping your cell membranes plenished with EFAs you help each cell work to its optimum. A well functioning membrane prevents dehydration and removes wastes efficiency thereby keeping your skin plump, hydrated and clear.
Super sunrise smoothie.
Super Sunrise Smoothie
This is my favourite energising breakfast to wake up to. Its quick to prepare and tastes great. So many people reach for a caffeinated drink to perk themselves up in the morning but this smoothie is stronger than any espresso for an energy boost! Try it and you’ll be convinced. It’s densely packed with essential fats from the hemp and chia seeds, the hemp also provides good quality protein. The fruit delivers unprocessed carbohydrates. Vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants are abundant!! As its blended it reduces the work load on your body to digest the foods. My son loves this smoothie and it’s a great way to give fussy eaters a potent blend of tasty nutrients. Hope you enjoy ☺️
Makes 1 smoothie
Prep 10 mins
Ingredients
• 100g fresh pineapple diced.
• 100g frozen mixed berries
• 1 large banana
• 1 tbsp raw cacao
• 1 heaped tbsp chia seeds
• 2 heaped tbsp hemp seeds
• a splash of Coconut water or almond milk to get your desired consistency.
• Sesame, sunflower, pumpkin seeds and/ or gogi berries sprinkled on top. ( Optional )
I put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. 15 secs approx. Pour into your serving glass and sprinkle with your toppings of choice. Enjoy.
Here’s the juicy bit. . .
Raw cacao is the core ingredient of chocolate. It’s chocolate in it’s natural form before any processing takes place. It is rich in minerals and is dense in antioxidants providing approximately 10,000 per 10g!Antioxidants help neutralise free radicals.
Free radicals are atoms that are unstable and highly reactive and can have a negative effect on our health. We are constantly exposed to them and creating them in our body through normal bodily processes eg metabolism of food for energy. Disease, exercise, smoking, chemicals and pollutants increase our free radical load. There is much research into the connection between free radicals and cancers and heart disease. Free radicals have a cascading effect on our body and they need to be stabilised to slow the ageing process internally and externally and protect against disease. Antioxidants stabilise free radicals and render them neutral. By taking anti oxidants in abundance you help protect against a variety of diseases thought to be related to excess free radicals. Fruits, vegetables and the modern list of ‘superfoods’ contain anti oxidants in great numbers. Beta carotene, vitamins C and E are three examples of excellent anti oxidants which work in synergy together to stabilise free radicals.
Raw cacao is high in minerals calcium and iron. A 10g portion in your morning smoothie gives 18% of calcium RDA and 33% of iron RDA. It is important for people who don’t eat meat or dairy to ensure they are getting a sufficient amount of these minerals. Foods rich in vitamin C aid the absorption of iron. Avoid coffee or tea around the time of taking your smoothie as the tannins reduce the absorption of iron.