Month: June 2015

Spinach Cakes

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Image From eatingwell.com

Image From eatingwell.com

I always love a look around www.eatingwell.com for inspiration daily.  The website provides you with many recipe ideas especially handy when trying to come up with ways to use all the fruit and veg in my fridge!

One of my favourite ways to eat more spinach is the amazing spinach and parmesan cakes. They are so tasty!

Makes: 4 servings, 2 spinach cakes each | Active Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Equipment: Muffin pan with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups

INGREDIENTS

  • 12 ounces fresh spinach, (see Note)
  • 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese, or low-fat cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Pulse spinach in three batches in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add ricotta (or cottage cheese), Parmesan, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper; stir to combine.
  3. Coat 8 cups of the muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide the spinach mixture among the 8 cups (they will be very full).
  4. Bake the spinach cakes until set, about 20 minutes. Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out onto a clean cutting board or large plate. Serve warm, sprinkled with more Parmesan, if desired.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 141 calories; 8 g fat (4 g sat, 3 g mono); 123 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrates; 13 g protein; 2 g fiber; 456 mg sodium; 560 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (170% daily value), Folate (46% dv), Vitamin C (40% dv), Calcium (30% dv), Potassium (16% dv).

Recipe and information from Eating Well http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/parmesan_spinach_cakes.html

Gilly x

Holiday in planning

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I am a big believer that you do not need to travel for miles and miles to have an amazing holiday.  I have lived in Scotland my entire life and yet have not seen the whole beautiful country yet.  With the hubby and I on our lifestyle change (or challenge!) I wanted to find a nice break where we can still have an amazing time as well as being adventurous.

10968310_895444280495109_399135819355396107_nThe solution – the North Coast 500!  Scotlands answer to Route 66.  The route way runs to and from Inverness, venturing round the capital of the Highlands, up the West Coast and back via the rugged north coast covering Black Isle, Caithness, Easter Ross, Inverness-shire, Sutherland and Wester Ross.  Looking at the North Coast 500’s website (here) I can’t believe how stunning the North of Scotland is.

The website provides different itineraries to suit different tastes – bikers, adventure seekers, luxury travel.  This is making the planning of this trip even easier.  As I am on a mission to be more “outdoor’sy” we are looking at the Campers itinerary.  This 5 day route plan involves things to see along the way along with recommendations for accommodation & eating.

Thank you North Coast 500 for your beautiful informative website, I am looking forward to planning my trip and blogging along the way.  Also love following all the pins on Pinterest.

http://www.northcoast500.com/ 

Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/

Juicing Fav’s

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Finding the right combination for juicing is all part of the fun.  Initially I found it quite difficult to increase my green’s and tended to stick to the fruity ingredients.  Then I found The Skinny NutriBullet Recipe Book by CookNation.

Here’s a couple of recipes that helped me introduce more goodness to my juices.

Ginger Apple Juice

Ingredients

2 Apples | 4m/2 inch piece of fresh Ginger | 1/2 Lemon | Water

Method
  1. Rinse the ingredients
  2. Core the apples (leaving the skin on).  Peel the lemon and no need to worry about the pipes.
  3. Add all the fruit & ginger to your blender holder (tall cup for NutriBullet) ensuring the ingredients don’t go past the max line on your machine.
  4. Add water & blend until smooth.

Gentle Detox

Ingredients

2 handfuls of Spinach | 1 handful of Kale | 2 Apples | 1/2 Lemon | Water | Sesame seeds optional

Method
  1. Core the apples, leaving on the skin.  Peel the lemon.
  2. Add the ingredients to your blender (tall cup for NutriBullet) making sure you don’t pass the max line.
  3. Add water and blend until smooth.

Enjoy, Gilly x

 

Gilly Is Juicing!

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To get the MOST out of life.. you need to get the MOST out of your food!

Over the last couple of months I have spent a lot of time reading about nutrition, including reading the amazing Eat. Nourish. Glow by Amelia Freer which has introduced the powers of juicing to me.

811XBaEo4EL._SL1500_Any excuse to buy a kitchen gadget I treated myself to the Nutribullet Pro.  Even bigger and better, the Nutribullet 900 Series Superfood nutrition extractor came equipped with a powerful high-torque power base and 900 watt motor for a smoother consistency. It also included a high torque power base, 2x extractor blades, an oversized cup, 2x tall cups, a short cup, handled and regular lip rings, flip top lid, 2x resealable lids, user manual, recipe books and a nutritionist book.  So easy to use and even easier to clean (well apart from when the hubby use’s it and doesn’t put the lid on properly 😦 )  I have now been using the Nutribullet for over a month and love the varied juices that you can make.  I even make soups!

To make the most from the juicing there are four easy steps to follow:

  1. Fill the cup with 50% leafy greens + 50% fruit (Boosts Optional)
  2. Fill only up to the MAX line with water and/or ice (coconut water really good too!)
  3. Add 1/8 to 1/4 cup nuts/seeds if desired.
  4. Twist on the Nutribullet blade and blend until smooth.

Leafy Greens – 50%

  • Collard greens
  • Kale
  • Romaine
  • Spinach
  • Spring Greens
  • Swiss Chard

Fruits – 50%

  • Apple
  • Avocado
  • Banana
  • Blackberry
  • Blueberry
  • Canteloupe
  • Cranberry
  • Fig
  • Grapes – red or green
  • Kiwi
  • Mango
  • Nectarine
  • Orange
  • Papaya
  • Peach
  • Pear
  • Pineapple – my fav!
  • Plum
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberry

Boosts (additional fibre and nutrition)

  • Nuts – almonds, Cashews, Walnuts
  • Super Chargers – Goji Berries, Acai Berries
  • Seeds – Chia, Flax, Hemp, Pumpkin, Sesame, Sunflower

I have started to collate all my favourite combinations and will share these recipes!