HEALTHY HABITS: SUPER FOOD- COCONUT BUTTER

We often hear about these "super foods" which apparently contain properties which are the key to success in a healthy eating plan. I have decided to join the hype and begin experimenting with these super foods to see what I think about them. This time I will be talking about Coconut Butter! What it is, how it benefits you, what it tastes like, how you eat it and if it's worth it.

What is it?

Coconut butter is a solid fat obtained from the flesh of the coconut.

What are the benefits?

* Aids in weight loss as it helps stimulate the metabolism, so you burn more calories each day which helps with weight loss and energy levels. 
* Boosts immunity as it is rich in lauric acid.
* Promotes healthy skin as it is highly moisturizing and increases skin elasticity. Coconut oil and butter have youth enhancing, glow encouraging properties for the skin. 

What does it taste like? How do you eat it?

It tastes just like coconut and is super delicious. You can drizzle it over yoghurt and muesli, use it to cook with, add it to desserts or just eat it by itself! It's actually really delicious and can be used for sweet and savoury purposes. As a side note coconut butter can also be used for many beauty and health purposes for the outside not just inside. It can be an amazing hair treatment and body moisturiser!

Are they worth it?

Like most health foods, coconut butter doesn't come cheap usually costing around $10-$15 for a 180g jar. I would say that it is definitely worth it though as it is such a multipurpose product and can be used for so many things that you will definitely find at least one use for it!

I seriously recommend checking out coconut butter or oil because it is an
amazing super food and beauty treatment.

HEALTHY HABITS: DRESS UP YOUR YOGHURT

Dressing up your yoghurt not only makes for a delicious breakfast or snack but it also gives you an opportunity to get a variety of seeds, nuts and grains into your diet that you otherwise might find difficult to do so. If eaten for breakfast it sets up your metabolism for the day, releases energy gradually keeping you fuller for longer and fills you up with fiber, nutrients, antioxidants and minerals due to all of the nuts, seeds and, berries and mixes we are using. It also makes for a great snack that satisfies any cravings and keeps you full for a long period of time. 

Ingredients:

Plain Chobani Greek Yoghurt

Carmen's Muesli Mix 

Black Berries

Goji Berries

Walnuts

Pepitas

Chia Seeds 

Coconut Oil

LSA Mix 

Let me know if you like this recipe and if you try it out!

CANDY CANE BARK RECIPE

If your not someone who likes to make complicated seasonal treats, this is a recipe for you! It's really basic and simple but definitely still delicious! 

Ingredients:

200g Cooking Chocolate

50g Candy Canes

Method:

1. Melt your chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring in between.

2. Crush your candy canes either using a hammer and sandwich bag or a mortar and pestle. 

3. Pour your melted chocolate into a lightly greased baking tray and sprinkle your candy cane on top.

I used dark chocolate because I love the combination of bitter and mint but this recipe would taste delicious using white or milk chocolate  

I hope you enjoyed this recipe :)

RUDOLPH BISCUITS RECIPE

Ingredients:

Butternut Snap Biscuits 

Chocolate Writing Frosting 

White large Marshmallows

White small Marshmallows

Pretzels

Jaffas

Method:

1. Use your chocolate writing fudge to squeeze a dot at the bottom of the cookie. Place a large white marshmallow on top.

2. Squeeze another chocolate dot onto the top of the marshmallow to help adhere the jaffa.

3. Use your chocolate writing fudge to draw two dots above the marshmallow. Stick two mini marshmallows on top of these dots. Squeeze another dot on each of the mini marshmallows as eyes. 

4. Take your pretzels that have been cut into half and stick them above the eyes using the writing fudge. 

I hope you enjoyed this Christmas recipe!

Thanks for reading:)

CHRISTMAS ICE RECIPE

Ingredients

300g (3,1/2 cups) dessicated coconut

300g (2 cups) pure icing sugar, sifted

Pinch of cream of tartar

1x390g can sweetened condensed milk

Red and green food colouring

Method

1. Line the base and sides of a 19cm (base measurement) square cake pan with non-stick baking paper. 

2. Comine coconut, sugar and cream of tartar in a bowl. Stir in condensed milk.

3. Divide the mixture among two bowls, adding green colouring into one and red colouring into the other.

4. Put one colour on the bottom of the pan and the other colour on top.

5. Place in the fridge for 1-2 hours to harden then slice it up as desired.

 I hope you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for reading :)

HEALTHY HABITS: KALE CHIPS RECIPE

Ingredients:

Kale

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Method:

1. Thoroughly wash and dry the kale. Ensure that it is extremely dry otherwise it won't crisp properly.

2. Remove the Kale leaves from the stem and break them up into smaller pieces the size of chips. 

3. Add some olive oil and sea salt then mix it up with your hands in a bowl. 

4. Place the kale pieces on a baking tray covered in baking paper, make sure not to cover them with each other otherwise they won't crisp properly.

5. Bake for about 10-20 minutes on 180 degrees but it does depend on your oven so keep checking them because they burn pretty easily.

Watch my recipe below :)

Click here to read more about Kale, 

Thanks for reading!

HEALTHY HABITS: SUPER FOOD- KALE

 

We often hear about these "super foods" which apparently contain properties which are the key to success in a healthy eating plan. I have decided to join the hype and begin experimenting with these super foods to see what I think about them. I have written about Chia seeds and Goji berries and this time I will be talking about Kale! What they are, how they benefit you, what they taste like, how you eat them and if they are worth it.

What is it?

Kale is a type of cabbage which has usually green or purple leaves.

What are the benefits?

* Diet and Digestion, one cup only has 36 calories and no fat so it's a great diet food. It is also packed with fibre, making it great for digestion.

* Super high in antioxidants because of it's large amounts of carotenoids and flavonoids.

* Anti-inflammatory due to all of their omega-3 fatty acids.

* The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities work together to prevent cancer.

* Lowers cholesterol due to the high fiber content.

* Glucosinolates found in kale aid in the body's detoxification process.

* Contains Vitamin K, A and C.

What does it taste like? How do you eat it?

It tastes very bitter and plant/garden like by itself so the best way to eat it is by mixing it into smoothies, blending it into soups or making chips out of it (watch my recipe here).

Is it worth it?

Kale can get pretty expensive costing $20 a kg but it's fairly light so a bunch usually only comes to $3 or $4. Considering it's so dense in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals it is cheap for what it contains and all of it's benefits. I would say it is definitely worth it!

 

Go out and try some! Don't be discouraged because of the taste because you can mix it into so many different things and not even taste it but still get all of the nutritional benefits.

Thanks for reading!