Clean Nosh, Grub and Chow

I get it. I am late to the 'Happy New Year' blogging party. I am late to the 'here is my amazing list of health resolutions' blog post shin-dig and I am late to the '2014 re-cap blog post' soiree. Don't worry folks, I'll save you the distress of having to read through another one of those posts. As much as I lurve to write them, I'll instead kick start my 2015 blogging scheduled with an update on my clean eating and progress to date.

I am super dooper, head over head heels happy to say that since Christmas I've lost 17 pounds. That's 17 pounds in six weeks. Lost due to focused clean eating and a whole lot of spinning classes. I have also ventured into the free weights section of the gym. You know the area. The area with the scantily clad men who grunt and puff their way through a workout and intimidate little ladies like me. 

They hog the barebells, smith machine and every free weight machine going. They mark their territory with towels thrown over benches, train in packs and often snigger. Rarely do you see a fellow woman in the free weights section, on her own, doing her thing. 

Until now. Now and then you'll find me. Squatting with a kettle bell, lying on a bench working some dumb bells or waiting patiently for a go on the lateral pull down machine. I take my time. I wait patiently and I ensure I follow my workout plan. In there, it's easy to feel intimidated and like you should rush your set and get the hell out of there, but ladies, don't. 

Ignore the huffs and puffs of the over sized protein guzzling guy next to you and focus on your goals and your intentions. Do your sets, do your reps and maybe encourage a few more strong women friends into the free weights section. You'll feel (and look) better for it.

Spinning + lifting weights and a chunk of clean eating and I am feeling like one happy gal. I am down a dress and jeans size, bloat free and mentally feeling strong. The post Christmas brain fog has lifted and January blues are a thing of the past. Literally. 

My interest in nutrition and health is growing by the day and interacting with other health bloggers has aided me in learning so much about great foods, sourcing awesome recipes and of course learning how to make the occasional clean treat. In a word, I'm loving it all. Really, really loving it all. Bring it on 2015, I'm looking forward to this year!

Soup, soup and more soup. A sure fire way to pack in a few vegetables, easy to make and perfect for making in batches, slopping into some Tupperware and taking to work. When I prepare my meals in advance, I eat better and I eat cleaner. I like to set aside some time on a Sunday evening, make a bit pot of soup and it usually lasts for at least three work lunches.

That's three mornings that I don't have to think about making lunch for work, three lunches that ensure I'm eating something nutritious and three mornings where I have more time to enjoy breakfast. If you want to eat better and eat cleaner, you've got to get your organisational head on.

Roasted tomato and basil soup is a favourite for many reasons, but mainly because I adore the smell of tomatoes garlic and red onion roasting in the oven. De-freakling-licious! For this recipe you will need the following:

:: A punnet of cherry tomatoes

:: 1 tin of plum tomatoes

:: 1 red onion, chopped

:: A couple of gloves of garlic

:: Pinch of pepper and salt

:: A large bunch of fresh basil leaves

:: Vegetable stock (Ideally organic, sourced from local health food shop)

:: High quality olive oil

METHOD

:: Place a sheet of grease proof paper onto a baking tray

:: Finely chop your red onion and tomatoes

:: Place chopped ingredients onto baking tray and sprinkle a touch of salt and pepper

:: Add a drizzle of good quality olive oil (Not the cleanest ingredient!)

:: Wrap several garlic cloves in tin foil and place in centre of chopped ingredients

:: Place into the oven and cook on a medium heat for 30 minutes

:: While ingredients are roasting in the oven, tear off a large chunk of basil leaves and finely chop.

:: Add tinned tomatoes to a pot and gently stir.

:: Add oven roasted ingredients to your soup bot and stir.

:: Remove gloves of garlic from tinfoil. By now, they should be soft. Add into the pot.

:: Add 200ml of vegetable stock and bring to the boil.

:: Reduce to simmer and add the chopped basil

:: After 30 minutes, add all ingredients into a blender and blend!

:: Ta da! You've made yourself a clean lunch.

Optional Extras:

This soup is not thick, however if you prefer a thicker soup, you can add a peeled, chopped potato into the pot when cooking all ingredients. 

To serve, I've included some sweet potato paprika wedges. To make, grab a few sweet potatoes, chop into wedges, throw into a roasting dish with a dollop of coconut oil and allow to roast in the oven. To add an extra kick, sprinkle some paprika on top and serve on the side with your soup.

NOM NOM! Clean Lunch!

During Winter, I try to eat a hot and filling brekkie before work. Something hot and filling ensures I don't snack on something sweet or unhealthy during that typical coffee break time of 11am. Enter porridge to the rescue. That super filling ingredient that keeps you full until lunch time.

Some use water or milk to cook their porridge, I on the other hand use almond milk as a dairy substitute. For extra creaminess, soak the oats overnight in almond milk in the fridge and come breakfast, you can pop them into microwave for two minutes or stir gently in a pot over a hob.

When ready pop into a bowl and let the decoration begin. For this super clean brekkie, I've opted to sprinkle cacao powder around the edges. Not to be confused with cocoa powder, cacao is packed with antioxidants which protect the body from ageing and disease. Its a guilt free treat! In the centre, I've added my favourite, chopped banana and Meridan almond butter. Made from nothing but almonds and not a preservative in sight, it is an amazing whole food with awesome health benefits.

Grab a spoon and dive into another clean nosh breakfast!

Eggs, beautiful, free range and organic eggs. Let me count the ways that I love thee. In fact, my love for eggs is probably an infatuation at this stage resulting in no weekend being complete unless they are being served up.

My favourite way to cook them is either frying a couple or whisking up a batch ready for an omelette. Before you go all "fried food isn't healthy" on me, let me explain how I fry eggs. Simply put, I use the wonder ingredient that is coconut oil. Pop a little dollop onto a hot pan and that stuff melts in seconds.

No, your eggs won't taste of coconut and yes, used often enough, coconut oil will give you the skin you have always wanted. I am convinced that my recent bout of glowing skin is down to adding coconut oil to my diet. A healthy fat, health benefits include reducing stress, cholesterol level maintenance, weight loss, boosted immune system and a regulated metabolism. 

I will tell you, that a decent jar can be pricey (We're talking £18 pricey) but if you're clever, you'll wait for one of those 'buy one, get one free offers' like I did. Plus, my first jar lasted me 6 months and given my "Ohhhh you're skin is amazing" compliments of late, its bang for buck one of the best buys I've made.

So, on to the yummy 'easiest breakfasts on the planet' brekkie. 

METHOD

:: Easy peasy, stick your pan on a high heat and when hot, dollop on a teaspoon of coconut oil. 

:: Let it melt and then roll it round the pan.

:: Grab a couple of slices of bacon (Yes, bacon is clean! Its from an animal, so its clean. Just try and make sure you buy as highest quality as possible), chop up and fry in the oil.

:: Whisk two or three eggs and after your bacon is cooked, pour on top.

:: Let it cook away and flip if you're feeling adventurous. 

:: Pop onto a plate and add additional ingredients to beef up the nutrition. Think spinach, avocado or tomatoes like I have.

Boom, you've made another clean breakfast. Head to work and feel smug all day!

God knows I love a good cup of tea. Especially in the morning.

I have this belief that the first cup of tea is the best and that if you drink too many during the day, you end up with a distaste for it come 6pm. Then bedtime arrives and come 7am, you're back to loving the black stuff once more.

In saying that, I've been looking to reduce the amount of cups of regular tea I consume and instead, replacing them with gentler cups of  what I call 'hugs in a mug'. Introducing hot water and lemon. Loved and feared by many but useful in that 1) it does not stain your teeth half as bad a regular morning tea and 2) contains zero amounts of caffeine.

I've been altering my morning routine somewhat and have been working really hard to get up earlier. In the winter darker months, I really struggle and the lack of natural light in the mornings affects me in ways hard to describe. I feel foggy, my shoulders are heavy and often I don't feel quite alert until 11am. That's two hours of working time lost right there.Winter can be a very unproductive season for me if I let it.

What does works in those dreary months is to wake up slowly. To take a few minutes in the morning to stretch out the joints, get the brain functioning and to take baby steps to the kitchen. Rushing from the bathroom to the kitchen and back to the bathroom is always the worst possible start to my day and that sense of haste follows me into the afternoon. 

I've been experimenting with starting my day with a sweet cup of hot water and a slice or two of lemon. Hot or warm lemon water has been described as the perfect 'good morning drink' assisting in waking up your digestive system and also helping with smoother bowel functions. (Nice!).

It also balances and maintains Ph levels in your body, helps cure the common cold and the potassium content helps nourish brain and nerve cells. Lemon is also of huge benefit to the skin, helping reduce acne and prevent wrinkles (I'm sold!) and it contributes to maintaining the health of your eyes.

Personally speaking, taking the time to follow this mini ritual before breakfast helps cement in my brain that a new day is here. A new day to take on and a new day to rock. I am guilty of being a somewhat excessive over-thinker and worrier. I worry about work, responsibilities, money and the future and sometimes that wee head of mine can jump straight into 5th gear if allowed.

My ritual of waiting for the kettle to boil, selecting my perfect cup and staring out the window watching the sun rise is 5 minutes of perfection. 5 minutes of calmness and 5 minutes of just being. Clean Eating is not just about the food you pop in your gob. Clean eating is about contributing to a greater feeling of wellness, vitality and wholesomeness. 

It's about slowing down, savoring every last bit or sip and doing it all with a grateful heart.

There is truth in the sentence that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After hours of deep slumber, tucked away under a 13.5 tog duvet, your body is craving some energy, some fuel and a little something something to get it going. 

If like me, you average about 8 hours sleep a night, you'll always wake up with a rumbling belly and if you describe yourself as 'not being a morning person' then you may find it somewhat difficult to pull yourself out of your pit. However, taking the time to rise a little earlier and prepare something nutritious assists me in having a better day. With something delicious inside me, fueling my cells, I feel a little pep in my step and a tad more motivated to take on any challenges thrown my way.

This week, I'm dedicating my first five posts on Clean Nosh, Grub and Chow to starting the day right. Sharing with you some of my favourite clean and easy breakfast meals, created from scratch. Meals that provide key vitamins and minerals and in the long term contribute to glowing skin. If eating clean is a lifestyle you're considering, it may be a little daunting to radically clear out the cupboards , overhaul your cooking regime and start from scratch. An alternative is to change slowly, meal by meal, and what better way to start than with my favourite meal of the day......brekkie!

Nothing gets me more excited than making my own smoothies. A few months ago my trusty blender broke down and until payday rolled around, I almost felt like a limb was missing such was my desire to whip up a cooling smoothie. Fast forward to payday and there's a new blender on the go at the Clean Nosh towers and she's every bit as loved as the previous one. (Rest in peace Morphy Richards blender, you served us well!)

Contrary to popular smoothie belief, you don't have to gobble one up from a glass. Unless you've been under a clean eating rock you may have never heard of a smoothie bowl. All the delicious goodness of a smoothie straight from the blender and into a bowl. I'm not going to lie, as a creative so and so, half the fun for me is playing symmetry with a whole host of toppings in order to create an eye pleasing smoothie bowl. Some have it down to a fine art. We're a competitive bunch, us smoothie bowl eaters!

To create this clean nosh, you will need the following:

:: 1 Large banana (or two mini bananas)

:: Large scoop of frozen berries

:: Almond Milk

:: Coconut Milk

:: Chia Seeds

:: Desiccated Coconut

For the eye pleasing decoration:

:: Porridge Oats 

:: Frozen Berries

:: Desiccated Coconut

CLEAN NOSH METHOD

:: Peel your banana(s) and breakdown by hand in little chunks. Pop them into the blender and add a large scoop of frozen berries on top. These can be any type of berry, but my personal fav is to buy a bag of mixed frozen berries in order to pack in as much flavour as possible.

:: Pour on top some coconut milk, followed by almond milk. Alternatively you can use just one of these dairy substitutes, but together they result in a lovely creamy smoothie.

:: Throw in a handful of chia seeds. Described as some of the healthiest foods on the planet, chia seeds can be found in most health food stores and are loaded with nutrients which benefit both your body and brain.

:: Top with some desiccated coconut and blend to your hearts content. If at first you notice there is a little resistance to the blending, turn off the blender and poke at the frozen berries with a fork to help in breaking them up. Pop the top back on and blend once more. In no time, your precious ingredients will become a deep berry smoothie.

:: Grab your bowl of choice and watch that yummy-ness pour into the bowl.

:: Now the science bit.....er, I mean the fun bit. Decoration! I truly believe that if your food looks pretty, you'll enjoy eating it more and clean eating is no exception. You can slap in as many or a little ingredients as you wish, and in this instance, I've added more berries, coconut and a sprinkle of oats for additional fibre. Now, stand back and admire.

Ta Da! Hey presto! Congrats! You've just made your first smoothie bowl. Now gobble that bad boy up and take on that day of yours!

Launching Soon!

The 'Clean Nosh, Grub and Chow' Blog. 

A blog focused on guiding you towards a clean eating and processed food-free lifestyle. Providing tips, tools and drooling food photography, the blog will assist you becoming a healthier version of you!

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