Good day!
This is the last day of our breakfast posts and you’re in for a treat. As well as posting my ‘an-hour-before-yoga’ breakfast which needs to be quick and not too filling, I’m also posting the Granola I’ve made for next week. Our clients love this recipe and we always get good feedback about it. I made a big batch which should last the whole family about 3 days – although I’ve seen it being eaten as an after school snack too.
CoYo coconut yoghurt with berries and flaked almonds. That’s it. No need for a recipe, you just need to construct it. The yoghurt is available from Waitrose, Ocado, Beyond The Kale (in Bath Green Park) or other health food shops.
Why coconut yoghurt makes a nutritious change:
1. Coconut reduces inflammation which is good if you’re having it before exercise and improves bowel function.
2. It contains naturally occurring plant based saturated fat which is good for us plus lauric acid that has been shown to increase good HDL cholesterol, which helps improve overall cholesterol ratio levels.
3. Coconut is an anti-oxidant which helps protect the body from free radicals
4. Coconut can help your body absorb calcium and magnesium as well as other vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
5. Coconut can help you lose weight by speeding up the metabolism function of the body.
6. Coconut promotes healthy looking hair and skin, by providing the body nourishment of essential fats, vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
7. If you think you’re intolerant to milk products, it makes a good alternative.
Granola
A great alternative to muesli and nutrient dense. Makes one large batch that will last you for days – well, if you can keep your hands off it? The high protein content will keep you fuller for longer and the cinnamon will help you control your blood sugar.
1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
2 cups of whole oat flakes (if gluten free replace with rice or quinoa flakes)
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup flaked almonds
1/2 cup flax seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 tbsp macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
1 tbsp ground almonds
3 tbsp of maple syrup or raw honey
3 teaspoons of cinnamon (has been shown to control
1/2 cup raisins or sultantanas (if you’re trying to lose weight or control your blood sugar, please omit)
Place the oil with the maple syrup or raw honey and cinnamon in a pan over a gentle heat. Add the oat flakes or other flakes and stir for 3 minutes until they start to go golden and crisp up slightly. Add all the other ingredients except the ground almonds and cook further 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the ground almonds.
Place the mixture into a baking tray and bake for about 30- 40 minutes at 180C, until crunchy. During this time you’ll need to stir the mixture to ensure that every bit of the granola gets nicely toasted and the top doesn’t burn.
Once the granola is cooked perfectly remove the tray from the oven and allow it to cool, then stir in the raisins (if you are including). Store the granola in an air-tight container to keep it beautifully fresh and crunchy.
Instead of cow’s milk you could have the Granola with yoghurt, almond, oat, coconut or flaxseed milk. Add berries to sweeten and to up the nutrient content.
Activating the nuts and seeds (please see my post on why I activate nuts/seeds/grains on http://nourishcentre.co.uk/nutritionists-eat-breakfast-day-3/).
You can ‘activate’ the nuts/seeds/grains in the Granola by soaking overnight and then drying out with a dehydrater if you have one or by drying out in an oven for an hour or so at 140C. I do the same for the grains but remove the moisture through a sieve before placing in the oven. The benefit of having a dehydrater is that the nuts etc remain raw which means they are more nutritious.
Well, that’s our 7 days! We really hope you benefitted from joining us for breakfast and we will keep you posted on recipes, what’s good to eat and how to improve your health.