How to have a healthier Christmas on Foodie Friday
I was honoured to once again be invited back on to BBC Radio Solent, this time as the lovely Katie Martin’s Foodie Friday guest!
This meant I was required to bring in some healthy Christmas alternative recipes, that would hopefully pass the taste test! Hmm, what to bring…?
I eventually decided on two/three extremely easy and simple recipes, for everyone to have a go at making over the Christmas holidays: my five minute hummus, with easy gluten-free crackers, plus the (now infamous) yummy raw chocolate truffles 😉
Katie and I agreed one is far less likely to reach for, or buy unhealthy processed rubbish that is full of harmful chemicals and toxins, when a delicious homemade alternative also available. And I proudly speak from experience!
When your body gets used to receiving the flavours, textures, enzymes and nutrients of wholesome clean foods, you will find something quite extraordinary happens the next time you eat processed unhealthy foods. Essentially, they will taste and make you feel FOWL!!!
This is because the cleaner and healthier you have been eating, the cleaner an environment your body therefore is, and the quicker it will recognise these ‘foods’ for what they are: food-stuffs that contain no nutritional value and plenty of ‘nasties!’
Many of my personal training clients have experienced headaches, nausea, stomach-cramps (and extra stomach issues…) plus even ‘hangover-like’ symptoms, if they have eaten these types of ‘foods’. And what greater way is there of your body letting you know it doesn’t need something?!
We also discussed this year’s Un-needed Christmas Food Amnesty for the Salvation Army, that is currently in full swing! My personal trainer clients and boot camp attendees have been absolutely incredible with their donations thus far!
And what is also wonderful to note is that there has been considerably less of the stodge (if any at all) present in their homes this year; a tremendous marker of progress in comparison to last year! 🙂
Most of this year’s donations have actually been acquired from either their places of work (the office staff haven’t missed that additional tin of biscuits/chocolates…) or gifts that arrived from distant relatives.
If you too would like to donate in order to have a healthier Christmas, while making someone else’s (we are also taking old toys, clothes, books etc as well as food) all the info you need can be found here. The donation box is currently in my personal trainer studio and will be until December 23rd, when all donations will be delivered by me personally to The Salvation Army. A huge thank you to the kind and generous people of Southampton!
Anyway, on to the recipes! My Five Minute Dairy-free Hummus can be found here and as discussed, feel free to experiment by adding different spices (Turmeric is a great winter flavour) to your liking. And every creation will taste fabulous with these crackers, which will also prevent you from reaching for the cheese board and biscuits!
- 1 cup organic flaxseed meal
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons olive or walnut oil
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
- Sprinkle of pink salt
- 1 tablespoon of mixed seeds
- 1 teaspoon rosemary (or feel free to experiment with different herbs)
- Preheat oven to 200c
- Combine everything together in a bowl until it forms a dough
- Place between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll with a rolling pin until as thin as possible
- Peel off top parchment sheet and discard
- Cut flattened dough into squares and transfer into oven.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and firm
- Allow to cool
- Serve with my five ingredient hummus, smashed avocado or even soup!
Our Bootcampers enjoyed these each evening this week at our Four Day Christmas Boot Camp Party, after every class. They work so hard, they certainly deserve a little reward. And what a way to finish the year this week was!
As well as 100% delicious, these truffles are also child-friendly! According to many of my personal trainer clients who have made them, the little ones love getting involved with rolling the balls and getting messy – and you can rest assured they will be eating a sweet treat that is not only nutritionally beneficial but doesn’t require any baking!
- 1 cup organic medjool dates (pitted)
- 3/4 cup pecan nuts
- 4 tbspns organic raw cacao powder
- Optional extras: raw vanilla powder, dessicated coconut
- Blend the dates and pecans in a food processor until completely broken down into a pulp.
- Press down and add the cacao powder and vanilla if you are using it.
- Blend until fully combined.
- Roll mixture into little balls
- Optional: roll the balls in dessicated coconut (to look like snowballs!) or more cacao powder.
- Enjoy and try not to eat all at once...
- Feel free to experiment with additional flavours such as orange (using freshly squeezed orange juice) or mint (using mint oil)
