All Posts by vitalassurance

Herb Crusted Roast Chicken

This will become your 'go to' meal when you are short for time and needing to prepare dinner quickly. It has all the veg and protein you need in the one dish.  The vegetables I have chosen were based around what was in season at this time of the year and therefore most flavoursome, this is obviously an easy thing to adapt to suit what your family enjoys or what you have left in the fridge. 

Ingredients:

1.8kg Roaster chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1-2 tablespoons mixed fresh herbs (I like to use rosemary and thyme), finely chopped
pinch salt
1 lemon, halved
1 brown onion, halved

Vegetables:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 leeks, white part only sliced
2 fennel bulbs, sliced
3 red onions, sliced
2 bunches Dutch baby carrots, trimmed and scrubbed
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Slice and prepare all your vegetables and place them at the bottom of a roasting pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables, add the garlic and season them to taste.

Prepare your chicken by combining the herbs, garlic and olive oil and set aside. Place the lemon and brown onion in the cavity of the chicken and then rub the herb mixture all over the chicken, massaging it in well. Sprinkle a little salt on top.

Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and then bake in the oven for 90 minutes (60 minutes covered, 30 minutes uncovered) until the chicken is cooked through and has a nice brown colour.

Serves 6

Rainbow Smoothie Bowl

There is a lot of talk around "eating the rainbow" and this is because the different colours of the fruits and vegetables have different nutrients and vitamins and therefore eating from all groups will provide you with a range of benefits. As you can see this can be done every easily in the way of a smoothie. This bowl was simply inspired by the bits and pieces I had available at the time.

Ingredients:

1 orange, peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen raspberries
1+1/2 cups baby spinach
¼ avocado
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
2 tablespoons cacao nibs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cashew milk

Method:

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend for 60 sec until smooth and creamy. Pour into glass and enjoy.

Serves 1

Citrus Apple Splice Smoothie

This is a great smoothie for those that don't like things too sweet. The lemon and tart green apple provides a really nice balance to the sweetness from the banana. It has your fibre, protein and good fats as well as a big hit of Omega 3's from the flaxseeds.

Ingredients:

¼ cup activated almonds
1 green apple, cored and chopped
½ frozen banana, chopped
½ lemon, peeled
1 handful spinach
1 tablespoon flaxseeds
1 scoop chocolate pea protein powder (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup coconut water

Method:

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend for 60 sec until smooth and creamy. Pour into glass and enjoy.

Serves 1

Choc Chip Muesli Bars

Your kids (and of course you) are going to absolutely love these. They take 5 minutes to put together and are the perfect lunchbox snack. These will be the perfect option for when you are looking for something to give you a little extra energy. They will keep you full and they will settle that sweet craving without being packed with refined sugars, salt and trans fats you get from packaged muesli bars.

Ingredients:

3 whole eggs
150g oat flour
150g oats
¼ cup coconut sugar
¼ cup coconut milk (or milk of choice)
pinch sugar
¾ cup semi-sweet choc chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 190degrees. Line a 20cm x 20cm baking dish and set aside.

Crack eggs into bowl and beat them slightly. Add all other ingredients except for the choc chips. Mix well to ensure that it is all combined well by the eggs.

Add the choc chips and combine it into the mixture.

Transfer into prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 8 bars or 16 squares

Poached Chicken Breast

Having staples in your fridge is a sure fire way to keep you eating cleaning and on track for being healthy. Poached chicken is one of those staples as it can be used in so many different ways. Add it to salads, to wraps, to soups, to stir-fries.... the options are endless. This is a really basic, simple flavour combination so feel free to add any other ingredients you may have at home

Ingredients:

3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 shallots, sliced
3 garlic cloves, bruised
1 knob ginger, sliced
1 teaspoon peppercorns
2 chicken breasts, skin removed

Method:

Place your stock, bay leaves, shallots, garlic, ginger and peppercorns in a pot on the stove and bring it to the boil. Once boiling, add your chicken breasts. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow it to cook for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from the pot and allow chicken to rest for a couple of minutes. Use a fork to shred the chicken or otherwise slice it finely.

Serves 2

Vanilla Dream Matcha Smoothie

Not only does vanilla have a beautiful smell but I find that it adds a delicious flavour and hint of sweetness when i use it in smoothies. This smoothie has a really nice balance of flavours and nutrients and will possibly become one of your favourites.

Ingredients:

¼ cup activated cashews
½ avocado
½ frozen banana, chopped
1 Medjool date, pitted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon matcha powder
1 cup coconut water
Handful ice

Method:

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend for 60 sec until smooth and creamy. Pour into glass and enjoy.

Serves 1

Coco-nana Crunch Smoothie

There's really no reason why smoothies need to be over-complicated with a heap of ingredients. It's best to just let the simple flavours of a few ingredients speak for themselves and this is certainly the case here!  The goji berries and cacao nibs add a beautiful textural component so make sure that you enjoy every mouthful

Ingredients:

1 frozen banana, chopped
2 tablespoons cacao nibs
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon goji berries
1 teaspoon Reishi powder (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup coconut milk
5 ice cubes

Method:

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend for 60 sec until smooth and creamy. Pour into glass and enjoy.

Serves 1

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

Everyone loves a good Shepherd's pie.  This version is a modern take on it whereby vegetables are the hero.  By adding Turmeric to the cauliflower mash, not only does it bring a beautiful yellow brightness to the dish, but it also brings powerful anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory fighting nutrients making it an extremely well-rounded dish.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower Mash
1 cauliflower, cut into florets
¼ cup almond milk
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

Vegetables
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek (white part only), sliced
½ brown onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 broccoli, cut into florets
2 medium zucchini, chopped
1 eggplant, chopped
1 red capsicum, chopped
1 yellow capsicum, chopped
250g button mushrooms, quartered
150g shitake mushrooms, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 tin baby tomatoes
400ml tomato passata
2 cups shredded silverbeet

Method:

To make the cauliflower mash, steam cauliflower as per your usual method. I like to use a steam oven or boil it on the stove for 10-12 minutes. Once cooked, transfer cauliflower into a blender without any of the cooking liquid. Add the almond milk, turmeric and salt and blend for 60 seconds until smooth and creamy.

Whilst the cauliflower is cooking, you can prepare the vegetables. In a large pan heat the olive oil on a medium heat. Add the leek, onion and celery and sauté for 5-8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and stir for a further minute.

Add all the vegetables and allow to cook down for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that all vegetables are cooked evenly. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the tinned baby tomatoes and tomato passata and stir to ensure all vegetables are coated. Bring cause to the boil and then add the silverbeet. Allow it to cook for a further 2 minutes.

Transfer the vegetables into an ovenproof dish and top with the mashed cauliflower. Sprinkle the top with the pumpkin seeds and then bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 45 minutes uncovered however keep an eye to ensure that it doesn’t burn. You may need to cover with silver foil.

Serves 8

Variations: To add some more protein to the meal you can add beans, lentils or chickpeas as you are cooking the vegetables.

Mango Madness Smoothie

Here's a quick and easy smoothie with few ingredients but lots of flavour. The blend of the frozen mango and nuts provides a thick creamy consistency that you could almost mistake this smoothie for an ice-cream.

Ingredients:

2 frozen mango cheeks, chopped
10 activated macadamias
1 tablespoon maca
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup almond milk
½ cup coconut water

Method:

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend for 60 sec until smooth and creamy. Pour into glass and enjoy.

Serves 1

Green and Gold Smoothie

This smoothie was created for the Australian Olympic team and therefore is based around the gold of the bananas and green of the spinach.  Full of nutrition that will give you the energy that you require to get through your day.

Ingredients:

¼ cup activated almonds
2 frozen bananas, chopped
2 cups baby spinach
2 tablespoons cacao nibs
1 tablespoon flaxseeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup coconut water

Method:

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend for 60 sec until smooth and creamy. Pour into glass and enjoy.

Serves 1

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