COCONUT CHOC CHIP COOKIES RECIPE

This is a recipe I have been making quite a lot lately because not only do I LOVE these cookies but my boyfriend and family are also crazy about them! Surprisingly they aren't too terrible for your health despite being cookies! I have even made a couple of different healthier versions of this but the recipe that TASTES the best is the following:   

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 Margarine or Butter
1/4 cup Coconut or Almond Milk
1 tablespoon Vanilla Essence
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 1/3 cups Flour
2 1/2 cups Dessicated Coconut
3/4 Chocolate Chips

Method:
Step #1- Preheat oven to 180 degrees (Celsius) and line a tray with baking paper.
Step #2- Cream together sugar, margarine, coconut milk, vanilla, baking soda and salt.
Step #3- Beat in flower until just combined then stir in coconut and chocolate chips.
Step #4- Place heaping spoonfuls of dough onto the lined baking tray and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.

Tips:
* I like to take the cookies out of the oven a couple of minutes before I think they are done because I prefer mine to be extra gooey and soft.
* You can add nuts to this recipe as well as or instead of the chocolate chips! Macadamias taste delicious if added to this recipe.
* You can use rolled oats instead of flour for a healthier spin on it.

So that is my Coconut Choc Chip Recipe; I really hope you all love this one as much as I do!

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 :)

CHOCOLATE CHAI RECIPE

My current obsession is chai; whether that be a chai latte, chocolate chai, chai tea etc...I have been loving it all! If you don't know what chai is, basically it's tea made by boiling tea lies with milk, sugar and sometimes spices. I came across this chocolate chai recipe and, being the chai addict I am, HAD to try it out

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
3 teaspoons loose-leaf black tea
8 cardamom pods
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
4 teaspoons sugar/sweeter
1/2 cup milk

Method:
Step #1- Combine tea, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, cocoa powder, sugar/sweetner and 1 1/2 cups of cold water in a saucepan.
Step #2- Bring to the boil over medium-high hear until bubbling. Then reduce to a medium-low heat and let simmer, stirring for 5 minutes until aromatic.
Step #3- Add milk. Leave to simmer and stir occasionally for 5 minutes or until hot. Strain into 2 heatproof glasses or cups and serve.

Tips:
* If you don't have or can't find some of the spices, you can always just used a pre-made spiced chai tea mix. I get mine from Coles and it has 2 variations; spiced or vanilla.
* You could also get syrups which they sell at Woolworths.

I absolutely love this recipe, the end result is absolutely delicious and you save heaps of money 

by making it yourself! 

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

instagram or twitter #JordysCooking

I hope you all enjoyed this reicpe!

2 QUINOA RECIPES! LEMON QUINOA AND VEGGIE QUINOA!

Quinoa is basically a healthy substitute for rice! It has soo many health benefits but head over to my Health/Fitness blog for more information on that. Here I'm going to be focusing on sharing two of my favourite ways to eat Quinoa!

Recipe 1: Lemon Quinoa

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Quinoa

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 Lemon

1 Shallot

Method:

Step #1- Cook 1/2 cup of Quinoa by boiling it on the stove in a pot for about 10 minutes.

Step #2- Drain the water from the Quinoa.

Step #3- Mix through the Quinoa; 1 tbsp of olive oil and the juice from half a lemon. 

Step #4- Cut up some shallots and sprinkle on top or mix through.

Recipe 2: Veggie Quinoa

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Quinoa

1 Celery Stick

1 Sml Carrot

1/4 Capsicum

Chicken Breast

1/2 Onion

1 Shallot

Almonds

Coconut Oil

Chia Seeds

Method:

Step #1- Cook 1/2 cup of Quinoa by boiling it on the stove in a pot for about 10 minutes.

Step #2- Drain the water from the Quinoa and mix through 1 tbsp of olive oil.

Step #3- Place cut up celery, carrot, capsicum, onion and shallots into a frying pan with water.

Step #4- Cook chicken breast in coconut oil and then add it to the vegetable mix.

Step #5- Once the vegetable/chicken mixture is completely cooked through and the vegetables have become soft, turn the heat off.

Step #6- Serve chicken/vegetable mixture on a bed of the Quinoa then garnish with chia seeds and almonds.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the 2 recipes!

HEALTHY PEAR AND BANANA DESSERT!

A dessert that's not only sweet and delicious but also really good for you as it only uses healthy ingredients! 

Ingredients:

1 pear

1 banana

Honey oat granola

Peanut butter

Coconut oil

Chia seeds

LSA meal

Cinnamon 

Method:

Step #1: Cut up your pear and banana into bite sized pieces and place them into a bowl.

Step #2: Top with banana, honey oat granola, coconut oil, chia seeds, LSA meal and cinnamon.

Step #3: Heat it up in the microwave for 30-40 seconds.  

Tweet or email me (mail@jordyscooking.com) pictures if your recreate any of my recipes and want to be featured in my "Shared Photos" section

HEALTHY HABITS: MEAL PREPPING!

Meal Prepping

The motto "prep once, eat healthy all week" explains the importance of meal prepping! Eating healthy all the time doesn't have to be a chore. The key is preparation, especially at the beginning of the week. By taking an hour out of one day to prepare some healthy meals will leave you with something wholesome to eat throughout the week and stop you from making bad food choices.

Who should meal prep?

This is perfect is you have a busy lifestyle and usually rely on take away or quick microwave meals because not only does meal prepping provide you with much more nutrition (depending on what you make I suppose) but it's also super quick and is only going to take one hour out of your week! 

Why should we meal prep?

I like to do this for uni because food on campus is really expensive and not very healthy, plus you never know what is actually in take away foods so it's safer, healthier and more affordable to meal prep instead. I only prepare meals for the four days that I have uni because other times, I am usually at home and able to make healthy options. 

When should we meal prep?

Pick one day to cook! Choose a quiet afternoon or evening to prepare a large meal that will feed you for a couple of days, or even the whole week. I like to do my meal prepping on Sunday afternoons/nights so that the food is as fresh as possible for the next four days that I have uni. 

How much food should we make?

For the purpose of this recipe, I am writing enough ingredients for five days because I know that a lot of you readers probably go to work or even uni for the usual five days a week. Of course, just tailor this recipe to your amounts and needs.

Delicious Chicken and Vegetables Recipe

Ingredients:

5x Chicken Breast

500grams of Mixed Vegetables 

3x Onions

1/4 Pumpkin

Oil (I use coconut oil)

Method:

Step #1- Cut up the onion into slices and the pumpkin into thin squares then place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Pop them in the oven for about 30 minutes on 280 degrees. 

Step #2- Add your mixed vegetables to a steamer and leave to steam for about 20 minutes on low heat.

Step #3- Heat a pan with coconut oil in it and then put in your chicken breasts, cooking on each side for about 7 minutes on low heat. 
Step #4- After all of your different foods have finished cooking, evenly distribute them among your containers and pack some in the fridge and others in the freezer (to keep them fresher).

I hope this recipe was educational and helpful! Please let me know if any of you start meal prepping and how you're liking it as well as if you already meal prep and what you think about it!  

Do you keep the meals int he fridge or freezer?
I keep half in the fridge and the other half in the freezer (just so that by the end of the week, the food is still fresh).

How long do you heat the meals up for?
If it's just coming out of the fridge, probably only 2 minutes in the microwave but if it's coming out of the freezer 2 minutes on defrost and 2 more minutes on the normal setting.

Tweet me pictures if your recreate any of my recipes and want to be featured in my "Shared Photos" section

 

WHAT I EAT BEFORE A WORKOUT

I'm someone who loves to eat before a workout because I find that it gives me heaps of extra energy to exercise harder and longer! Sometimes the difference between eating something or not can determine how much you get out of your workout.

Almonds

Almonds are known for all of their amazing health benefits including; lowering of cholesterol levels, high in antioxidants and healthy fats as well as providing magnesium, potassium and vitamin E.  What makes them perfect for snacking on before a workout is that they are a great source of protein and they give you heaps of energy.

Bananas

This fruit is an amazing source of natural energy as they are packed with vitamins and minerals! If I am feeling tired of sluggish, these always fill me with extra energy without the crash that you would get with caffeine or sugar. It's like natures energy bar!

Goji Berries

These little berries are packed full of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and amino acids! Super high in antioxidants with a score of 25,300 compared to blueberries which are 2,400. They include 18 amino acids making them a complete protein, 21 minerals and super high in Vitamin A and C.

Coconut Butter

I love to have a couple of spoonfuls of coconut butter before I workout because it is a great source of natural energy and it also promotes weight loss! If you click on the title above, it will take you to a whole other article I wrote about the benefits of coconut butter!

Greek Yoghurt

Yoghurt is in general an amazing source of protein and calcium. However, Greek yoghurt is even better as it has less sugar and usually low or no fat. It's also much creamier which will fill you up for longer and leave you more satisfied and is usually less processed!

Coffee 
Coffee is a great pre workout drink as caffeine can help you get pumper up and energised to work out. It increases your heart rate so you burn more calories and work out longer and harder. It helps you go faster and feel less tired as well as make you feel better about your workout.

HOMEMADE WEDGES RECIPE

Ingredients:

4x Washed Potatoes

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Ground Turmeric

Cayenne Pepper

Pepper Steak Seasoning

Salt & Pepper

 

Method:

Step 1- Create wedge shapes out of your potatoes by slicing your thoroughly washed potato in half lengthways then proceeding to cut the half diagonally right then left. This leaves you with three wedges from the half a potato.

Step 2- Add your potato wedges into a bowl and massage olive oil into them.

Step 3- Add all of your seasonings into the bowl with the potato wedges and massage them in. 

Step 4- Place all of your wedges spaced out on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Give them a last little season with salt and pepper.

Step 5- Bake them for about 20 minutes on 180 then another 10 minutes on 200.