Category: Healthy Living

Simple Ways to Create a Healthy and Fulfilling Breakfast Routine

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date October 17, 2024

We all know what a healthy breakfast looks like. Simple foods that provide a good hit of protein and/or natural sugars that are easy to digest just after waking up. A breakfast like this is more likely to make you feel energized for the day ahead, and it’s certainly preferable to heating up leftover pizza for the third time this week!

But have you thought about making your breakfast routine healthy AND fulfilling? Thinking about breakfast as a routine, rather than just the first meal of the day, can change your whole mindset around healthy living. Indeed, it can even make the lifestyle more fun!

If you’re interested in a routine like this, our list below contains three simple ideas for adding a touch of wholesome healthiness to your mornings.

Breakfast Shouldn’t Take Long to Make

Simple breakfasts are always best. That means your morning meals shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to get ready. This often means making breakfasts ahead of time that only require warming up or plating up with a glass of orange juice.

However, you can also keep breakfasts simple by keeping your cupboards stocked with a range of different foods that are easy to reach for. Yogurt plus a sprinkle of your favourite cereal and some chopped raspberries? Doesn’t require making ahead and won’t take longer than 5 minutes to get your bowl ready.

And remember, breakfast doesn’t have to mean eating ‘breakfast foods’. If you want a sandwich as your first meal of the day, go ahead. Just try to make sure you use wholemeal bread!

If You Like Coffee, Don’t Just Pour and Go

If you’re a coffee drinker who can’t get going in the mornings without your dark roast, turn the creation of a good cuppa into a relaxing multistep process. Don’t just pour and go any longer!

Coffee has a lot of health benefits, and when it’s made right and with care, you’ll get a dose of all of them. Not only that, but if drinking coffee wakes you up, lengthening the process will make you feel ten times sharper!

Start by filling your coffee machine with granules you actually like the flavor and depth of. When coffee tastes good, you won’t see it as just a quick energy hit. Stick around as it pours into the pot to breathe in the smell, which can be very comforting first thing in the morning.

Once that’s done, make a habit of actually sitting down to drink the coffee. Take your time here – yes, even if you need to get ready for work! Coffee with a bit of calm reflection time can make mornings feel a lot more wholesome, especially during the winter when you’re waking up in darkness.

You’re then going to need to buy some coffee tools to clean the grinder and dust off what’s left of the roast when the machine is finished. Don’t skip this step. It’s a quick yet detail oriented task that’ll really wake you up AND you’ll save yourself a job tomorrow morning!

Grab Something for the Road

If you find eating a healthy breakfast leaves you still feeling hungry, grab something for the road while you’ve still got the chance. A banana for the bus to work, a slice of toast for the walk with the kids to school, or a yogurt pot for rounding off that bowl of muesli before heading to your WFH desk.

It’s OK to need an extra little bite to feel satisfied. After all, healthy eating isn’t just about controlling your portions and nothing else – it’s about listening to your body and giving it what it needs. And if your body needs a bit more fuel before the day gets into full swing, make sure you pay attention!

You may also want to spend time preparing breakfast type snacks you can eat on the go. Something you can just grab, as we say, and dig in whether you’re inside or out. If you’d like some ideas for these, we recommend chopped veg that’s nice raw, a cereal bar that isn’t too dry, or trail mix with a few extra dried fruits mixed in.

So, do you want to make your breakfast routine both a healthy and fulfilling venture? Keep it simple and make it more enjoyable! Even if you don’t like eating breakfast, you can still follow a routine like this and have it make a difference to your life. Just listen to your body!

Tags breakfast, fulfilling morning routine, Healthy breakfast routine, quick and easy breakfast, simple breakfast ideas

Healthy Living

Easily Available Nourishing and Healthy Food Extracts

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date August 23, 2022

What you consume has a direct impact on your well-being. Your health depends on what you eat and drink. But what you prepare in the kitchen, can also be used in other ways to improve skin and hair. Here are some nourishing and healthy food extracts you can use, both inside and outside your body.

Unsaturated Fats and Oils

Most people assume that fat is bad. But you might be unaware that there are good and bad fats. Saturated fats provide little health benefits and cause issues such as blocked arteries. You can spot these fats easily since they are solid at room temperature. Examples include lard, butter, and suet. These are fats you should consume in moderation. However, unsaturated fats are often bursting with health benefits. Examples include fresh olive oil, peanut, and sunflower oil. These are good for brain health, inflammation, and cell production and help absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Fruits, Vegetables, and Honey for Your Skin

Extraction is a complex process that takes time and money. Therefore, it isn’t feasible to do it at home, and you usually have to buy products. However, the good news is there are many fruits and vegetables you can apply directly to your skin. Using fresh ingredients for your skin helps nourish and hydrate. Orange, papaya, and cucumber are excellent for boosting vitamins A, B, C, and K. You can also make pastes using the best honey you can afford, such as Manuka honey. Honey is a natural moisturizer that will clean your pores, help alleviate acne, and exfoliate.

Healthy Food Extracts for Your Hair

In addition to consuming healthy food or applying specific food to your skin, your hair can also benefit from fresh and healthy food extracts. Hair can sometimes be unmanageable, and you may not want to apply certain chemicals. Some extracts that help, include:

Aloe Vera: Applies more moisture that helps with regeneration and repairing cells.
Henna: Provides protection enzymes similar to high-quality hair conditioner.
Coconut oil: Penetrates deep below the hair surface to provide everyday protection.

Moisture and protection are essential for healthy hair. Every day, you bombard your hair with potentially damaging things. These include applying heat when drying, brushing harshly, and even wind and rain. Natural ingredients help form barriers, moisturize, and strengthen your hair.

Alternative Water and Milk

Alternative water and milk are very popular and trendy these days. Unfortunately, some are consumed out of necessity. For example, you might have lactose intolerance and prefer soy or almond milk over cow’s milk. While you might consider consuming alternatives purely as a way to keep calories and fat intake to a minimum. Fortunately, it seems like there’s no end to the alternatives available. Popular ones include coconut water, almond milk, and celery juice. While water and milk are essential, alt-drinks provide benefits like extra vitamins and minerals.

Holistic Ingredient Supplements

Sometimes your diet alone isn’t enough to get what you need. Changing your diet can be challenging, and you may not enjoy some of the most beneficial foods. Additionally, you may have a vitamin and mineral absorption issue. This means your body doesn’t absorb enough of a specific compound that it needs, causing a vitamin deficiency. A popular way of getting more vitamins and minerals is supplemental tablets. These shouldn’t be used as a healthy diet replacement. But when used correctly can help with energy production and mood stabilization.

Summary

Healthy food extracts are widely available for better health, skin, and hair. The most common include unsaturated fats, protective blends like aloe vera, and vitamin supplements.

Creative Cookery Healthy Living

Encourage Your Child To Try New Foods

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date June 28, 2022

It’s hard to get kids to try new foods, and even harder to get them to eat healthy most of the time. Parents are always looking for new and innovative ways to get their children to eat a balanced diet. Help encourage your child to try new foods with these fun and easy tips. With a little creativity, you can make mealtime an enjoyable experience for the whole family.

Set a Good Example

Whether you realize it or not, you are probably going to be your child’s hero. They will mimic your speech, facial emotions, and even the food you consume. A Little Foodie is far more likely to develop if they see you enjoying your cuisine every day and don’t forget the odd foodie treat like taking them to their favorite pizza restaurants and having something a little naughty.

Provide Opportunities to Play with Food

It may sound messy, but introducing children to food through play is a great way to increase their familiarity and acceptance of it. There are so many entertaining methods to engage kids with food, such as making edible paint, food stamps, or conducting food taste tests or quizzes.

A rather awful evening meal can be the result of exhaustion at the end of the day and getting tired of cooking. Consider making mealtimes more enjoyable for the two of you by playing games, asking each other about their days, setting the table with elegant china, or hosting a picnic, buffet, or meze night. Why not hold kid-friendly food sampling sessions or have a theme night once a week? There are numerous methods to make the most of mealtimes and include the whole family.

Don’t Force It

Trying to force kids to eat can backfire. (It certainly did for my parents!) Our experiences dealing with parents have shown us that it does happen, and science confirms this. Take the pressure off, let them experiment with different foods, and continue to serve as an example for them. They’ll arrive.

It goes beyond simply getting someone to eat food to cultivate their love of it. Try to involve kids in the cooking process, whether that means letting them watch Jamie Oliver on TV for some TV-inspired ideas, asking them to help you plan the menu for this week, or getting them to help you chop, peel, and mix ingredients. When it comes to food, there is a lot of enjoyment to be experienced.

Let Them Decide to Try New Foods

Allowing your kids to make food decisions helps them gain independence and can also make them appreciate the food they are given more. Instead of just telling kids “no, you can’t have that,” it’s crucial to teach them how to make healthier decisions. Encourage them to consider what their bodies are truly telling them about what and why they want to eat — whether it be hunger, boredom, desires, or enjoyment – by asking them what they feel like eating.

Liven Up the Lunchbox

Put a little care in their lunchboxes. There are so many enjoyable ways to add some excitement to lunchboxes. A regular sandwich can be found in many lunch boxes. Try blending it. Quiche, pasta, toasties, vegetable kebabs, wraps, pita bread and dips, whole grain crackers, and rice salads can all use a little extra heat. You can also include a surprise element, such as a letter, amusing image, little toys, some ribbon, or a joke. This can give the lunch box a little extra flair and is a great way to get your kids excited about eating.

Tags children, kids

Healthy Living

How To Get Your Child To Eat Healthily

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date March 31, 2022

It can seem like a bit of a chore to get your little ones to adopt healthy eating practices, but it doesn’t need to be that way. So if you are struggling with ways to encourage your child to eat healthily, then look no further.

Start When They Are Young

It is a lot more difficult to try and implement changes for older children if they are already stuck in their ways. (I know this from experience because my family switched to healthy food when I was 5, and I couldn’t wait to go to Grandma’s house so I could eat salami and cookies!) So the best way to encourage your children to adopt good eating habits is to start when they are young. Their taste buds will soon adapt to more healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables and will not see them as something unappealing. So the sooner you can introduce these foods the better.

Interact With Them While They Are Eating

Children like to interact with their food, especially when they are young, so you could talk and pick up the food with them to make it seem more interesting. They also like to play around with the texture of their food and see how it feels before they eat it. So definitely encourage this if you find it is useful for them to be able to try out different flavors and textures.

Let Them Get Messy

If they end up getting a bit messy it doesn’t matter — if they end up eating their food in the end. So try not to be too discouraged if they want to pick up their food and see how the texture feels before they eat it. The main priority — ultimately — is that you get your child to eat healthily. It will also provide you with a funny photo opportunity too if they get a little messy.

Make Fruit More Appealing

It doesn’t need to be seen as a scary ingredient to your children, so if you try to be a little more creative in how you present it, such as making smoothies or getting them involved in preparing it then they might be more inclined to try a new fruit.

Start With Small Portions

Instead of presenting them with an entire fruit, you could encourage them to try different ones by cutting them up into smaller portions. Choosing an array of fruits such as bite-sized apple slices or a handful of grapes will enable them to try different fruits and hopefully come across one that they like. You will then know which fruit they prefer best which you can then implement into their diet.

Get Them Involved In The Kitchen

Encouraging them to participate in the kitchen will get them interested in food and cooking. Allow them to help you make a particular dish that is full of healthy ingredients. Cooking can be a fun and interactive activity, so if your child is able to help out in the kitchen, they may show more of an interest in food and how to prepare tasty meals.

Try Different Cuisines

You want to try and expand your child’s taste buds as much as possible so that they are less likely to become fussy eaters. Exploring different cuisines at home and cooking a variety of dishes is a good way for your child to be able to try out different food flavors and combinations.

Present The Food Nicely

If you make their plate of food seem appealing then they are going to be more likely to eat it. When they are young this could involve turning the food on the plate into a specific shape such as an animal or a smiley face. If it encourages them to interact with their food and makes it more appealing then they are much more likely to try it, compared to just piling it on a plate. My father used to do this with pancakes, and I loved it!

Persistant Patience Will Help Get Your Child To Eat Healthily

Overall you want to try and encourage good eating habits when your child is young so that they are more likely to want to eat healthy foods. It doesn’t need to be difficult to get your child to eat healthily. If you can be patient and persist with your methods then there is no reason why your child cannot enjoy an array of healthy foods.

Tags children, cooking with kids, kids

Healthy Living

How to Get More Healthy Protein Into Your Cooking

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date March 19, 2022

If you feel that your diet is not as healthy as it could be and that it’s time to make some changes, you’re in the right place. One of the things that lots of people are trying to do for the benefit of their health is to reduce things like fatty meats and carbs in their diet and instead eat more healthy protein sources. That makes sense, and here are some tips for how to do it.

What Is a Healthy Protein?

The Nutrition Source, an online publication of the Harvard School of Public Health, “Protein is an essential macronutrient, but not all food sources of protein are created equal.” They recommend getting protein from plants when possible, such as legumes (beans and peas), nuts, seeds, and whole grains. And, when eating animal proteins, favor poultry, seafood, and eggs, over dairy, red meat, and processed meats. To learn more about how the “packaging” of your protein matters, read their article on protein.

And now for some practical suggestions.

Eat a High Protein Breakfast

Consider the way in which you start the day. Breakfast is an ideal opportunity to get more protein into your diet if you’re not currently eating a protein-filled breakfast each morning. For example, you could eat eggs with wholegrain toast. Or you could have berries and yogurt. There are so many suitable options. I start the day with a nutrition-packed smoothie that starts my day with 39 grams of protein.

Add High Protein Vegetables Like Kale and Spinach

If you want to add something to the things that you’re already cooking on a regular basis, simply use vegetables that are higher in protein than others. A couple of good examples of high protein vegetables are kale and spinach, but broccoli is a good option as well. You can add them as a side to your dishes or use them to replace other aspects of the dish that are less good for you.

Make Some Simple Swaps

There are ways to swap out unhealthier proteins for healthy options and it’s something more of us should do. For example, you could replace a fatty cut of beef with:

lean chicken
lean lamb from Superior Farms Denver, or
fish that’s packed with omega-3 fatty acids.

Those kinds of changes can be highly beneficial. It makes the transition a lot easier when you’re taking small steps and using simple swaps, so be sure to make the most of that.

Eat More Beans

Eating more beans and finding great recipes that contain beans is a good way to get more healthy protein into your diet. Things like kidney beans, pinto beans, and lentils are all really good options worth considering. You can incorporate them into a chili bowl or a burrito for example. There are so many great options, even if you’re not someone who usually loves beans.

Here are some bean-based recipes you can try out:

Consider Shakes with Protein Powder

If your reason for wanting to add more protein to your diet is to improve your workouts and to build muscle mass, you should think about making the most of protein powders. Although this is not the reason why protein powders are my favorite, go-to source. They are just plain easy. I don’t have to think about my breakfast and lunch anymore. I have a few simple recipes I follow and I know I’m getting my daily protein needs handled.

Protein powders can be used to make shakes that you have before or after your workout. They are a good way to get more protein into your system when working out. They come in all kinds of different flavors, so there are plenty of options. My go-to flavor is vanilla because then you can any flavor to it.

I’ve also added protein powder to cooked breakfast cereals such as oatmeal and cream of wheat, adding both protein and sweetness at the same time. Yum!

In case you were wondering, these are the two protein powders I use. I’ve tried a lot of them and these are two I’ve landed on for nutritional value, flavor, and texture.

Pure Protein 100% Whey – If you like your smoothies thick and creamy, this protein powder does the trick. Some whey proteins upset my digestive tract, but I’ve been using this one for several years now with no problems.
Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder – I’ve tried a lot of plant-based protein powders and have not liked any of them until I came upon Orgain. It tastes great. However, it doesn’t make your smoothies thick and creamy.

As you can see, there are plenty of realistic and sustainable changes you can make to your diet if you want to get more healthy protein into it. Each of the ideas discussed above will serve you well and benefit your health in the long run if you’re able to implement them and stick to them.

Tags plant-based protein, protein

Healthy Living

7 Great Ways to Get Kids to Eat More Fruit

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date February 3, 2022

Eating healthy is often difficult for kids and parents alike. Kids can be picky and hesitant to try new foods. Parents may find it challenging to get their kids to eat more fruit, as well as vegetables. But by making some simple tweaks, you’ll be able to introduce your kids to the benefits of eating more fruit! Here are seven ways that will show just how easy it is.

Make Fruit Fun

Kids are more likely to try something new if they’re having fun. So, instead of approaching your child with a stern tone and demanding that they eat their fruit, take the opportunity to have some fun! Suggest experimenting with different colors of fruit or taking turns picking out fruits at the store. You can even make up your own game like “guess what color it is,” or “can you find something that is the same shape as a banana?”

Get Sneaky and Blend It Into Other Foods

The easiest way to get your kids to eat fruits and vegetables is to blend them into the food they already like. For instance, if your child enjoys smoothies, you can add fruit or vegetables to their favorite drink. This strategy also works well with soups, sauces, oatmeal, and ice cream.

While this doesn’t combat their dislike of trying fruits and veggies, it will ensure they still eat them even if they don’t know it.

Get Kids to Eat More Fruit by Giving Them Options

Offer your child a variety of fruit and vegetables. You can also offer them two different options and let them choose which one they want. If they’re unsure about what to try, ask them which option they like the best.

Why not try a chart to encourage them to try new fruits or track what they are eating each day. Much in the same way, you have a reward chart for good behavior. Talk to them about their choices and see what they have tried by adding it to a chart each day. Use stickers or pictures to make it more fun for them.

Make It Messy

Some kids love to get their hands dirty. This is a great way to make eating fruit more fun for them. Cut up the fruit and let them scoop it up with their hands or use a spoon. Making a mess around the kitchen may not be ideal for you, but this will be a great memory for your child!

For younger kids, encourage messy play and let them eat from clean surfaces while doing so. Chances are if they don’t feel forced to eat it, touch it and play with it, the more inclined to try it they will be.

Get Them Involved in the Preparation

Kids love to help and feel like they’re participating – so get them involved in preparation! This is a great way to teach them about the food they’re eating and, at the same time, make it more enticing. If your child is old enough, involve them in the grocery shopping process and create more complex recipes such as a homemade compote recipe. Let your child pick out the fruit or vegetable that they will eat for dinner. You can even let them do some of the prep work for dinner. If you have a younger child, involve them in putting fruit and vegetables on their plate and tell them what each item is.

Get Kids to Eat More Fruit by Being Creative

It can be a challenge to get kids to try a portion of new food. Sometimes the only way to do it is by being creative. Try cutting up their favorite fruit and creating a fruit stir fry, a sweet fruit pizza with chocolate or yogurt spread, or fruit sushi for them to try. Kids will love the fun presentation of these dishes!

Keep Fruit in Sight All the Time

One of the first rules of thumb for getting kids to eat more fruit is to keep fruit in sight all the time. This not only includes what you serve at dinner but also what’s on the breakfast table and in their lunchboxes. Stocking your pantry with healthy snacks is a great start. You can also fill up the fridge with fruit that’s easy for kids to grab when they come home from school or before bedtime.

When it comes to introducing more fruit to your child’s diet or different fruits, the key is to not force them into eating it if they are hesitant; this will only make them more determined not to try it. Instead, get creative with how you approach it and allow them to take the first step themselves by satisfying their curiosity.

Tags fussy eaters, kids

Healthy Living

7 Simple Meal Ideas for Breakfast

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date October 23, 2021

Are you struggling to come up with easy breakfast meal ideas? You almost certainly are. But it doesn’t have to be this way – if you think a bit outside the box, breakfast need not be a nightmare or a bore. Because let’s face it – cereal gets old pretty quickly if that’s all you’ve got. With how hectic people’s lives seem to be, it’s no wonder many of us find ourselves reaching for the same things time and time again.

With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of seven simple meal ideas for breakfast that will hopefully help you get out of your breakfast rut and start enjoying this important meal once more. In addition to being quick, they’re also healthy – so there’s no need to feel guilty about enjoying them!

1. Overnight Frozen Yogurt

This is a simple one – buy some yogurt, pour it into a container with a lid, and let it sit in the freezer overnight. That’s it! In the morning, you can enjoy it frozen or take it out of the freezer for 10 minutes beforehand so that it softens. Either way, this recipe couldn’t be much easier or quicker. And because yogurt is packed full of healthy probiotics, this breakfast option will leave you feeling nice and refreshed too.

2. Muffin Tin Pancakes

Pancakes are often thought of as a weekend luxury (unless they’re DIY). However, they don’t have to be. They’re delicious and easy enough to make every morning if you want to! All you need is a muffin tin, one egg per pancake (so four for a whole batch), one cup of flour, half a cup of milk (or milk alternative), and whatever other mix-ins or flavorings you enjoy. Mix all those ingredients in a bowl until they form your desired consistency (a bit thicker than standard pancakes works best), pop them in the oven at around 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, then take them out again when they’ve turned golden brown. You can try countless flavor combinations with this recipe to make it your own. Blueberries (frozen if you don’t want purple pancakes) are delicious here.

Bonus Tip: Try out this egg waffle recipe if the kids are famished!

Here are some more pancake recipes you can try:

3. Homemade Breakfast Bars

Who doesn’t love granola bars? It’s a convenient, tasty breakfast option that can be found pretty much anywhere these days. But it doesn’t have to stop there. By making your granola bars, you can create different flavor combinations using ingredients that are as healthy as they are delicious. And from start to finish the whole thing shouldn’t take more than half an hour.

4. Breakfast Quesadilla

Take two pieces of bread, spread some cheese between each one, and stick them together in a quesadilla maker for around 3 minutes. This will give you something kind of like scrambled eggs, sandwiched between crunchy bread slices …yum! You can season this however you like (pepper is delicious), add cheese, add vegetables, add bacon…the sky’s the limit!

5. Protein-Packed Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a delicious and filling breakfast option that doesn’t have to be boring. There are plenty of ways to perk it up on top of just adding some fresh fruit on top. You can blend this one in a blender for a few minutes before you eat it if you want a warm milk-like substance instead of actual oatmeal (not including the water). This lets you get creative with your flavor combinations – throw in some cocoa powder and peanut butter for an indulgent chocolate peanut butter oatmeal concoction, or grate in some ginger and add some cinnamon for something more adventurous.

6. Smoothie Bowls

Smoothie bowls are another great option for those who want to switch up their standard breakfast routine. They’re like thick smoothies that you eat with a spoon (rather than drink through a straw), and because of this, they can be topped off with all sorts of yummy ingredients: granola, fresh fruit, chocolate chips…the list goes on! All you need to do is blend your chosen smoothie recipe in your blender before transferring it into a bowl or other dish, then topping it off as desired. This is a perfect idea if you are finicky about certain foods, because once it’s blended together, you won’t even know the difference!

7. One-Bowl Pancakes

Pancakes made from one bowl? That’s right! This easy-peasy recipe will have you waking up to a stack of pancakes in no time. All you need is a cup of self-raising flour, two eggs, half a cup of milk, and some neutral oil for frying (e.g., grapeseed or sunflower). Blend everything in a blender until it forms a smooth batter, then transfer the whole thing to a pan on your stove at medium heat. Wait until each side turns golden brown before flipping them over and repeating on the other side, then serve with whatever toppings take your fancy – syrup works particularly well here!

So there you have seven simple breakfast options that can be prepared quickly and easily for busy mornings when you want to make sure you get off to a good start and don’t end up running late. All but one (the protein-packed oatmeal) of these recipes can be completed in half an hour or less. So what are you waiting for? Give them a try today!

Tags breakfast