Amazing Healthy Alternatives to Junk Food

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Trying to eat healthily is usually spoilt by giving into temptation. And there is one huge temptation that lots of people find difficult to ignore. Junk food! We’ve all craved junk food at some point of other. Whether it was pizza, burgers, or ice cream. But there are many ways you can satisfy your cravings without actually scoffing a load of fast food. Want to know how to make healthy alternatives? Read on to find out more!

Homemade Chips

Chips are delicious, but they are packed with so many calories! However, if you make your own at home, you can control their calorie count. If you oven-bake your chips instead of deep-frying them, then you will be cutting down on unwanted fat and calories. Homemade chips should be seen as a treat and shouldn’t be eaten every day. But they are great to serve up as a better alternative to frozen chips at your next dinner party!

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Use Chickpeas Instead Of Flour

Cakes and Biscuits are hardly the most nutritious treats. However, it is possible to bake flourless versions which are a much healthier alternative! All you need to do is use chickpeas instead of wheat flour. Sounds crazy? Not really! There are so many advantages to baking with chickpeas. They are full of protein and fibre, helping you stay fuller for longer. And, as they are sugar-free, you won’t have to suffer a horrible sugar crash.

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Get An Air Fryer

Frying in oil is very unhealthy. No matter what kind of oil you use. So it’s a good idea to ditch the frying pan and deep fryer for good. But you can still enjoy fried foods – you just need to get an air fryer! Instead of frying food in a whole load of oil, these appliances fry in very hot air. So not only are they healthier, but they are also safer. Because you won’t be dealing with hot oil. Take a look at different air fryers on sites like www.airfryerreviews.com.au

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Go For The Veggie Option

Meat can have a high fat content, and there are also some studies that eating too much can lead to weight gain: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10726414. So it’s a good idea to cut down on your daily meat intake and give yourself, at least, one meat-free day per week. But you can still enjoy your fast-food favourites such as burgers. Just choose the vegetarian option! If you are making them at home, use nuts, beans, and pulses to make your patty instead of mince.

Choose Soda Water

Fizzy drinks are super refreshing but have ridiculously high sugar contents. You can still have the fizz without sugar, though! Just switch your cola or lemonade for soda water. If you want some more flavour, add a wedge of lime or lemon. Serve over ice for a great summer drink!

So there you have it; healthy and delicious ways to enjoy all your favourite fast foods and junk foods! 

Foolproof Tips For An Easy Dinner Party

Throwing a dinner party for friends and family is something that everyone should try at least once. Going out for meals and special occasions has its appeal and advantages. But with bad weather, overpriced taxis, and disappointing meals, a home event can be much more satisfying. If you have never thrown a dinner party before, you might initially consider the process a bit overwhelming. Even the word “dinner party” sounds intimidating. 

It conjures images of opulent soirees and elegant gowns. Or elaborate food and sophisticated conversation. But it’s important to remember that dinner party is just a term. It can be whatever you want it to be! For most people, a contemporary dinner party is inviting, laid-back, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. If you choose friendly, positive guests and plan ahead of time, your dinner party will be a success. A few minor setbacks are more or less inevitable. Certain dishes might burn a little or someone may spill a drink. But if you stay relaxed and just enjoy the atmosphere and the effort rather than the result, everyone will have a great time.

If you’re planning a dinner party, a few helpful extra tips can be a great source of inspiration and encouragement.

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Prep Ahead of Time

This tip doesn’t just involve the logistics of the event. It is important to make sure that you know who is coming, that you have enough dinner plates and so on. But any food preparation that can be done in advance of the event is also going to help things go smoothly. Many desserts can be prepared the night before, for example, as can marinades. Dips or drinks can be laid out well in advance such as in the afternoon of the party. Even adding a few store-bought snacks like crisps and crackers to the mix saves time on making everything freshly. The main event is the dinner, so don’t feel that you have to make everything from scratch. Remember not to get too carried away with appetisers though. Leave everyone enough room for the meal you’ve worked so hard on.

One Pot Meals

Serving a meal that can be cooked in one pot can be an excellent choice for your first attempt at a dinner party. There are incredibly convenient and flavoursome, save time, and also make a great centrepiece for the table. One pot meals help to create a relaxed, familiar atmosphere. They often smell inviting and comforting and remind everyone of wholesome home-cooked meals. Getting the guests to self-serve with a ladle also helps keep the conversation and sense of fun going. A couple of tasty, unusual salads alongside with some fresh bread and butter goes with every dish. Have enough dishes to create a sense of abundance and fun, but don’t feel that every inch has to be covered. There are many excellent, reliable recipes online for bakes, stews, and casseroles. Don’t be tempted to get too hung up on presentation either. Fussy food is quite old-fashioned and can inhibit your guests from feeling comfortable and relaxed. Better to go for cosy, wholesome and delicious.

Dietary Requirements

Many cooks roll their eyes at the thought of dietary needs and preferences. But it is important to cater for all your guests and not to make them feel uncomfortable. If any of your guests have allergies or religious observations, do make sure to check in advance. A gentle email to all guests asking if they could quietly send you any details will suffice. Everyone will feel valued and involved. Never make anyone feel that they are a burden or the whole atmosphere of the night will become strained. If a few of your guests are vegetarian, for example, why not consider an entirely vegetarian night? The dietary choice is so common these days that many of the recipes and meals are exciting, filling, and delicious. They are healthy too, leaving you more room to indulge in the wine or dessert! Many vegan and vegetarian dishes are loved by everyone, including meat-eaters.

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Double-Check Your Equipment

Make sure that you have equipment that you can rely on. Stainless steel cookware is durable and certain food processors and blenders are more reliable than others. Be sure that you’ve checked everything is clean and working a few days before the actual event. Being let down by an equipment malfunction can be bitterly disappointing. Disasters occasionally happen but don’t leave it to chance. Assemble your equipment, check utensils for faults, have plenty of plates, cutlery and chairs and all will go smoothly.

Don’t Be A Hero!

If your guests arrive and you are running a bit behind schedule, don’t panic! Be honest, relax, and ask for a bit of help if you need it. Guests love to chop or set water to boil, pour extra drinks, and so on. It’s a relaxed way to make everyone feel welcome and get back on schedule at the same time. No-one minds eating a little later if there are canapes, drinks, and a good atmosphere. Always let your guests know if you are running a bit behind. It offers them the opportunity to offer to help, and reassures anyone who is feeling ravenous! Don’t be tempted to become despondent. Stay calm and relaxed, and you will work faster anyway.

How To Make The Perfect Cup Of Tea

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If there is one drink in the world that can just about fit any occasion, it has to be tea. Tea can be hot and comforting. It can be cool and refreshing. It can be sweet and spicy, or it can be dark and smoky. There are hundreds of different varieties and it is drunk in many ways all over the world.

Tea is life affirming and aromatic. It can be scented and luxurious. You can drink it on the hottest day and revel in it on the coldest. It can even help you detox and slim. Tea is amazing. It is said that the first cup of tea originated in the Far East when a traveller heated a cup of hot water. A leaf blew down from a tree and the rest is tea history. But before you stick a tea bag in a cup, here are a few thoughts on making that perfect cup of tea.

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A pot of black tea

Indian or Chinese or a mixture of both, black tea has sustained the world for a long time. Known in some places as ‘gumboot tea’, it is typically a strong mixture of different blends. Assam tea and Irish Breakfast tend to be stronger. An English Breakfast Tea is similar but not quite so intense. Either way, these teas need a teapot.

Place a teaspoon of tea for each person and one for the pot and fill with freshly boiled water. The secret to good black tea is to let it brew for a few minutes.

Drink with milk to taste. It’s a good idea to ask how people like their tea! Some like it strong and other like it milky and even sweet. Chai is an Indian version that combines black tea with spices and has a nice bite to it. This is often drunk milky and sweet and is perfect with a slice of something sweet and sticky!

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Green Teas

Green tea is known as a powerful antioxidant. People swear by its health-giving properties and religiously drink it morning, noon and night. Because it is refreshing and does not have milk or sugar added, it is a healthy option. Skinny tea is a variation of green tea that can act as an appetite suppressant and is perfect for a detox or fitness regime drink to keep you hydrated.

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Unlike black tea, green tea does not like to be steeped. To make the perfect cup, just add water to the tea pot and use a bag or spoon of tea for each person. Leave for a minute and then serve. If you leave it longer, you’ll run the risk of it tasting slightly bitter. Green tea can be cooled and added to smoothies, or chilled and kept in the fridge as a refreshing drink on a hot day.

When it comes down to it, there are as many different types of teas as there are flowers and plants. Try a handful of refreshing mint, infused in a pot. It’s an amazing boost and great aid to digestion. There are all sorts of fruit and herbal teas to try out. Most are easy to make by simply adding water to a tea bag in a cup. Though aficionados swear that loose leaf tea is best!

HOMEMADE APPLE PIE RECIPE

I LOVE apple pie but I much prefer to make my own at home rather than buy pre-made ones because I like to control everything that goes into it like free range eggs, unsalted butter and Stevia instead of sugar. I know it's a bit of extra effort to make it completely from scratch because the dough can sometimes be tricky but I assure you, it's worth it. Not to mention you feel so accomplished and proud afterwards, like you seriously just went all housewife and made an apple pie from scratch= go you! This recipe doesn't include how to make the dough but I have previously done a recipe for that so click HERE to see it.

THE BEST HEALTHY RECIPES OF JORDYSCOOKING - CELEBRATING 20K SUBSCRIBERS

So recently I hit 20,000 subscribers on my cooking channel...now to me that is absolutely insane! Mainly because I started my cooking channel well after I started my beauty channel and for it to surpass my beauty channel in such a short amount of time blows my mind. Despite not being around for very long I feel like my cooking channel has changed in so many ways as I have grown as a person and my lifestyle has transformed. I started by putting up dessert recipes covered in sugar and chocolate but soon found my way to healthy snack ideas and meal prepping tutorials.

 

I wanted to put this post up on not only my JordysCooking blog but also my JordysFitness blog because I feel like my Jordy's Cooking channel sparked the inspiration for Jordy's Fitness because with the healthy recipes began my love for fitness and exercise too. So much so that I needed to create a whole separate blog for all the healthy recipes and fitness tips.

 

Without getting too mushy, I wouldn't be where I am today without starting my cooking channel because it expanded my horizons to health and fitness which without I wouldn't be as fulfilled as I am now. I also turned vegetarian between starting this channel and now which comes down to me being inspired (by starting this channel) to find out more about where food comes from and all about nutrition.

 

So in celebration of reaching such an amazing milestone, here are my top five favourite recipes from Jordy's Cooking, all of which are pretty recent because I feel like I've never been creating as good content as I am now.

 



HOMEMADE HUMMUS
Click HERE to watch the video.
Click HERE to read the recipe.

 

BANANA OAT BREAKFAST BALLS
 Click HERE to watch the video.
Click HERE to read the recipe.

 

BANANA OAT MUFFINS
 Click HERE to watch the video.
Click HERE to read the recipe.

 

BANANA PROTEIN SMOOTHIE
 Click HERE to watch the video.
Click HERE to read the recipe.

 

VEGETABLE BAKE
Click HERE to watch the video.
Click HERE to read the recipe.

You want to know the best part about creating these recipes for you? It was seeing all of YOUR pictures sent in of you recreating my recipes. I loved creating all these new and different healthy dinner/snack/lunch ideas because I knew that some of you would give them a go and be eating a healthy and nutritious meal.

Now here's to another 20k subscribers because I know that I will be making cooking videos for a long time to come.

 

 

Thank you for reading :)




 



FAIRY CAKES RECIPE ★ HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

Inspired by my first Halloween tutorial of the year as a Pink Fairy, I decided to make Fairy Cakes also! If you are going as a fairy this year I think that Fairy Cakes are the perfect sweet treat to compliment your costume and a fantastic Halloween party favor. They are super easy to make and very festive so let's get into how I made these pretty cakes or click HERE to watch the video tutorial.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups self raising flour, sifted
1 cup plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
150g unsalted butter
2/3 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
Sprinkles
Lollies

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C
2. Place the flours, sugar, butter, milk, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl and then beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
3. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases and bake for 20-25 minutes.
4. Leave to cool slightly then decorate using frosting, sprinkles and of course the lollies as fairy wings.

If you would like to find out how I created this Pink Fair Halloween Look, check out the makeup tutorial by clicking HERE.

If you try this recipe out and want me to see what you made, use the hashtag on 

instagram or twitter #JordysCooking

Thanks for reading :)

HOMEMADE DOUGH RECIPE

So to preface this let me start of by saying that up until about a month ago, the thought of making my own dough/pastry never occurred to me. I have always been someone who uses the frozen pastry sheets to make quiches or pies but when I had to urge to make Apple Pie about a month ago and didn't have any frozen pastry, I figured that I would attempt to make my own. It worked out pretty good, delicious actually and therefore I don't think I will ever go back to using store bought pastry/dough. It is true that it's more convenient and it is quite and effort to make your own dough and pastry but trust me when I say that it tastes SO much better. Watch the recipe HERE or keep reading for the written version.