Goldilocks' 3 porridge options

Goldilocks continued...

So my previous porridge post featured various fruity options to go with porridge but this week I have been honing my porridge making skills and trying a few different things. I have 3 new healthy recipes for porridge and more to come I am sure.

Raspberry porridge

Berries are superfood and raspberries have a sweet, sour taste that tantalisingly tickles the taste buds. Perfect for waking you up in the morning, lazylocks.

Recipe (serves 1)
40g porridge oats
300ml semi-skimmed milk
1 tsp honey
75g raspberries

To serve
25g raspberries
tbsp greek yogurt

Method
1.     Stir oats, milk and honey together in a pan with a wooden spoon until nearly at the consistency you like. (This is where you get to be goldilocks and get it 'juuuust right'). Be careful to keep to a medium-low heat, if you get impatient and turn it up then your porridge will be lumpy - and if you struggle with mornings like I do then lumpy porridge may seem as great a tragedy as  Goldilocks fate. 

2.     Squish the raspberries and stir them in so that they break up and turn your porridge a little pink.

3.     Transfer to your bowl, top with rasps and a wee dollop of greek yogurt and watch out for bears.

Porridge makes a great start to the day and trying just one porridge wasn't good enough for goldilocks, so I didn't stop at raspberry porridge…

Chocolate-banana porridge with strawbs

Chocolate for breakfast? No, you are not still dreaming. Wake up to see this fairytale come true.

Recipe (serves 1)

30g porridge oats

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

300ml almond milk

1 tsp honey

1/2 banana mashed

To serve

1/2 banana sliced

5 medium strawberries chopped

tbsp greek yogurt

5 almonds - crushed/sliced (depending what Old Mother Hubbard has in)

Method

1.     Stir oats and cocoa powder together in the pan thoroughly. 

2.     Add the milk and honey and transfer pan to heat - stir with a wooden spoon until your porridge is approaching the consistency you like. At this point add the mashed banana and let the porridge reach your desired consistency. 

3.     Transfer to your bowl, top with sliced banana, strawberries, my ever present blog of yog and the crushed almonds. And then devour like a bear that just caught a little blond girl stealing its breaky.

Chocolate for breakfast not dream-like enough for you? 

Mixed berry-mango porridge 

Try this exotic option for your morning meal.  

Recipe (serves 1)
30g porridge oats
300ml almond milk
1 tsp honey
6 or so raspberries

To serve
1 cup mixed frozen berries
A few pieces of chopped mango


Method
1.     Stir oats, milk and honey together in a pan with a wooden spoon until nearly at the consistency you like.

2.     Squish the raspberries and stir them in so that they break up and turn your porridge a little pink.

3.     Pop half your frozen berries in the bottom of your bowl and pour in your porridge. Top your bowl with the rest of the frozen berries and and mango. Eat immediately so that your fruit doesn't cool your porridge too much! We don't want to have a real Goldilocks with mama bears porridge moment now do we?

I am sure there will be further chapters on the porridge front but until then...beware of becoming a morning bear.

Healthy Food Love, Fayerie Faye x

Porridge is like waking up to a tummy hug

Can't blame Goldilocks for trying all three porridge bowls.

Porridge is great with any kind of fruit and/ or nuts and can be made with just water so it is a winner every time! Honey or golden syrup and a nice addition if you can keep it to a tea spoon or even just a splash of milk.

Healthy Food Love, Fayerie Faye x

I worship Greek Gogurt

It is time I admitted it... I LOVE GREEK YOGURT!

I love it for breakfast...

...with cherries

...with fruit...                          ...or flaked almonds...

...I love it with a fruity lunch...

...I love it on my plate with some cake...

...I love it on top of my scones with mashed strawbs...

...I love it with yummy pancakes...

...and I even love eating it right out of the pot!

I love Greek Yogurt. I love it!

Healthy Food Love, Fayerie Faye x

Banana dip is a definite delight!

The time was not ripe for my avocado, but it was for an easy banana dip discovery!

As you may be able to tell, I prepared my carrots, cucumber and celery and was all ready to make my Guacamole when I realised my avocado was tragically...not ripe! In my moment of despair, I glanced towards the fruit bowl and saw...bananas! Ok, not the most dramatic story but this is what I came up with.

Homemade Banana Dip
Recipe (serves 1)
1 banana
1 tbsp greek yogurt
1 tsp honey
1 tsp sunflower seeds

Method
1.     Mash your banana with a fork against the side of the bowl.

2.     Stir in the honey and greek yogurt.

3.     Sprinkle the sunflower seeds on top to serve.

This is so yummy that I make it all the time now. Delicious, sweet and easy. Such a treat! What more could I ask from an avocado disaster?

Healthy Food Love, Fayerie Faye x

Going dippy for Gucamole

Keep life simple and healthy with Homemade Gorgeously Guilt-free Guacamole!

This is so easy to make that it really ought to be sinful, but it just isn't! I am a firm believer of not over complicating things and just using the ingredients I need to make yummy, healthy food.


Homemade Guacamole
Recipe (serves 1)
1/2 ripe avocado (it must be ripe, softer the better really)
1/4 tsp pepper
1-2 tsp lime juice

Method
1.     Run your knife around the outside long ways, so you can split the avocado into two halves. Store the half you aren't using in the fridge with the pip intact and covered in cling-film (stops it going too brown).

2.     Make knife marks horizontally and vertically and then use a teaspoon to scoop the avocado from its skin into a bowl.

3.     Mash the avocado with a fork and stir in the pepper and lime juice. 

 4.     Serve however you like!

I like using my Guacamole as a yummy dip for carrots, cucumber and celery at lunch time. Or you might like to try it in a nice wholemeal pita bread? 

Don't fancy having Guacamole two days running but don't want your avocado going to waste? Remove the skin and slice it up to pop in a salad instead of meat. Delicious! I will add some more salad ideas at some point. In the meanwhile, enjoy! 

Healthy Food Love, Fayerie Faye x

Saucy Homemade Tomato Salsa Sauce

Carrying on the idea of saucing up  your dish the homemade way!

This is the tangy tomato salsa sauce that went oh so well with my oven baked salmon:

Homemade Tomato Salsa
Recipe (serves 1)
1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion
8 cherry tomatoes
2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
Optional extras: If you want as easy way to heat it up, then consider adding 1/4 tsp chilli powder

Method
1.     Lightly heat your chopped onion and tomatoes in the oil for 2-3 minutes, tip off excess liquid and allow to cool.

2.     Pop in a bowl with the rest of your ingredients and give it a good stir to mix everything together. Stick it in the fridge to marinade for half an hour while you make whatever delicious dinner you are planning on serving it with.

Try it with oven baked salmon and broccoli. Tomatoes are so versatile; I love them.

Healthy Food Love, Fayerie Faye x

Saucy Fayerie Food - Homemade Spicy Tomato Chutney

Saucy up any dish homemade style!

A challenging part of eating clean is staying away from sauce jars that are simply full of sugar and preservatives, and lots of other things you are trying to avoid if you are eating clean.

So here are a couple of sauce ideas I have thrown together, often in the absence of other ingredients being in the house...

I'll start with the sauces requested from the serving suggestions mentioned on my last post:

Homemade Spicy Tomato Chutney
Recipe (serves 1)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 onion
1/3 garlic clove
1/2 tsp chilli flakes (adjust to your own taste)
6 cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp honey (I swapped out the sugar, turns our I was on to a real winner!)
1 tsp white wine vinegar (saves popping open a bottle of wine)

Method
1.     Chop up and pop your onion a in a little frying pan with the oil for 4-5 minutes to soften.

2.     Add the chilli flakes and garlic (I normally just slice my garlic like mad because I don't get on with the crusher) and stir for 2 mins.

3.     Then slice your cherry tomatoes into quarters and then throw them in - it will need a couple of minutes until your tomatoes are as broken down as you like them. (I like to squish them a little with a spoon so the skins shrivel and come off a bit. I find this makes the chutney more spreadable).

4.     Add the honey and white wine vinegar and leave to simmer very gently for 5-10 mins. Set aside to cool until you are ready for Spicy Tomato Chutney with your din dins!

Try it with sweet potato chips as a ketchup replacement. Almost anything goes with tomatoes so this is a great little sauce recipe to have in your repertoire. 

Healthy Food Love, Fayerie Faye x

Sweet on Sweet Potato Chips

I am feeling the love for this Superfood! 

                     

Superfoods support weight loss and sweet potatoes are thought to be good for your bones and vision. They are even known for putting you in a good mood! I'd say the last one is a confirmed fact! 

Happy tummy = happy body =  happy life!

These are so easy to make and are a brilliant healthy option to go with so many dishes. Forget your freezer bag of chips; just keep a couple of sweet potatoes in your kitchen. And because they are carbohydrates that magically have protein in them, you can really chow down on these guilt free. Plus, they fill you up so you won't feel the need to go fridge raiding later on. Happiness!

                                 

Recipe (Serves 2 as part of a meal)

1 large sweet potato

1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (nice and healthy oil option, crisps up the chips)

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp chilli flakes (adjust quantity for how hot you like them)

Method

1.      Wack the oven to 200C (that's 180C for you fan assisted folks) and bung the oven tray in to heat up. This will help get a nice crunch to your chips. 

2.      Next use a nice sturdy, sharp knife to carefully cut up your sweet potato(s) on a chopping board. I like them really thin but if you like them chunky just remember to adjust your cooking time.

3.      Throw them in a bowl and drizzle / sprinkle over your oil, pepper and chilli flakes. You want to make sure all the chips are evenly covered; I just get my hands right in the bowl. (You just might like to turn the tap on before you get your hands messy so that you can have a quick rinse without getting in trouble for sticky handprints all over the tap...apparently I'm a messy cook). 

4.      You've probably just dried your hands on the tea towel so now you can use this to get your oven tray out of the oven, up-end your chips onto it, strategically shake the tray to make your chips spread out a little and bob them in the oven for 20-30 minutes - all in one swift and professional looking movement! Ta-dah!

[Note: You might want to flip them or give your tray another shake half way through depending on your oven but the pre-heating of the tray should have ensured even crisping].

Serving suggestions

Why not try serving with some delicious oven baked salmon? For sauce and side try homemade tomato salsa and another of my favourite superfood friends: broccoli!

Or...how about healthy fish and chips? 

Haddock pan-fried in just a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil with oven cooked egg and homemade spicy tomato chutney.

I like to have sweet potato chips on a Friday night, they make such a good start to my weekend and feel like a real treat after a hard week. Follow my blog and I will share some more nice hearty whole and superfood recipes with you soon!

Healthy Food Love, Fayerie Faye x