I have yet to meet an adult or child that hasn’t loved this banana bread.

It is a staple in our household for a very high protein snack that tastes good and keeps you feeling full – it also makes an excellent breakfast on the go, particularly if you have little children to ferry to nursery or school.

If you have a few simple ingredients in your cupboard then you will be ready to make this recipe again and again, once your bananas have become deliciously ripe!

This recipe is naturally gluten free, dairy free and free from added sugar. It is deliciously moist and light and ridiculously simple to make. All you need is a blender and a spare 10 minutes to put it together

Enjoy! x

High protein banana bread

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Author: Radianthealthnt

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of mixed spice
• 80g sultanas
• 150g smooth nut butter (you can use any nut butter, I chose cashew nut)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil
• 50g coconut flour (v.important, this recipe won't work with alternative flours. Available from most good supermarkets!)
• 2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (if you have it!)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line a loaf tin with grease-proof paper.
2. Chop four of the bananas and add to a food processor with the eggs, nut butter and melted butter or coconut oil. Mix the ingredients together.
3. Sift in the flour, baking powder, mixed spice, bicarbonate of soda and vanilla extract, mix again until it forms a cake batter. Stir in the sultanas.
4. Stir in the sultanas and pour into the lined tin.
5. Bake for 45 minutes. Before removing from the oven insert a knife in the middle and check it comes out clean so you know the loaf is baked all the way through.
6. Allow to cool before storing, the loaf will keep up to 3 days.

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Breakfast is a nightmare when you are gluten-free! The supermarkets are loaded with super sugary, expensive or downright bland substitutes. This toasted buckwheat is soooo yummy and a great alternative for a busy morning.

Buckwheat is not a grain but rather you consume the seed and it is a source of micro-nutrients such as Magnesium, Manganese and a good source of fibre.

Adjust this recipe to your liking – feature whichever nuts and seeds you happen to have in the cupboard! I have used cups for ease of measuring, this recipe is all about the ratio!

Toasted buckwheat granola

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: Radianthealthnt

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 cup of puffed buckwheat
• 1 cup oats
• 1½ cups raw nuts and seeds (I used flaked almonds, walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, plus a sprinkling of desiccated coconut)
• 70ml coconut oil, melted
• 70ml runny honey
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 150 C and line a large baking tray (or two small trays) with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients
3. In a small pan melt together the coconut oil, honey and vanilla and pour over the dry ingredients, mixing until they are well coated.
4. Spread the mixture evenly out across the baking tray. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, turning the mixture over gently, about every 10 minutes, to avoid burning around the edges.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely
6. Add dried fruit such as cranberries or raisins, to your taste

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These chickpea burgers are soooo good. This is a ridiculously easy dinner that packs in a ton of veg and flavour and feels like a real treat!

It’s a simple recipe that takes under 15 minutes to make, just leave some time aside for preparing any extras – we added sweet potato chips, a green salad, some houmous and guacamole but for a spicy addition, a simple salsa would work really well!

This is a great meal to get the whole family involved in making – shaping the burgers in little hands and chopping a simple salad, the more that kids engage with food, the more likely they are to eat it!

I will be posting more healthy fast food in the next few weeks, to get it straight to your news-feed just like my facebook page!

Healthy, fast food: chickpea burgers

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

6 mins

Total time

21 mins

 

Author: Radianthealthnt

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 400g can chickpea, rinsed and drained
• garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1⁄2 tsp chilli powder
• 2 tbsp plain flour (I used Dove's farm GF)
• 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• toasted pitta bread (I used Bfree Stone Baked Pitta)
• Green salad, to serve
• Grated carrot, serve
• Mashed avocado/salsa/houmous

Instructions

1. Drain the chickpeas and ensure you don't tip any residual juice as you pour them into a food processor along with the onion, garlic, spices, flour and a little salt. Blend until slightly chunky but sticking together - then shape into four burgers with your hands.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the burgers, then quickly fry for 3 mins on each side until lightly golden.
3. Serve with toasted pittas, sweet potato chips and a green salad.

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That said, cooking with children can be an immensely rewarding process with the right planning and preparation to make it a stress-free experience.

What can they learn?

Cooking is such a fantastic learning opportunity for you to engage with your child as it encourages self-confidence and life skills that will endure long into their adulthood. Skills such as counting as they weigh and measure ingredients, time management and fine motor skills for younger children, which can help them to learn to write.

As a nutritionist, the most exciting learning opportunity for me is introducing children to new foods. Research has shown us that the more times our children engage with a food, the more likely they are to eat it, so involving our children in food preparation is an ideal way to combat fussy eaters.

Tools of the trade

Firstly, make sure you pick a skill that is appropriate for your child. Most children can use spoons, spatulas and whisks and even a small rolling pin under supervision.

For children age 3+ you can purchase child-friendly knives and vegetable peelers or simply use a butter knife, but ensure you are always supervising your child and start off with easier foods to chop and peel (a banana, for example). You can also use scissors for chopping the ends off vegetables like green beans.

You may also want to invest in a kitchen stepping stool, so your child is the right height, or simply take your tools to the kitchen table.

Enjoy this time with your child  

Every age of child can benefit from getting involved in cooking, whether it is banging pots and pans or measuring out ingredients and getting nifty with a rolling pin.

Cooking is such a fundamental life skill and one that will pay dividends when your little angels start making dinner for you!

Start off with something quick, like this healthy snack idea, a simple recipe that delivers instant results for those curious little hands.

Like my Facebook page for regular nutrition articles and recipes, straight to your newsfeed!

This is the final of my vegetarian dinner series.

As we explored in the Reducetarian blog, lots of people including celebrities are opting to eat less meat or give it up altogether. I believe it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing solution and I also believe vegetarian food can be as filling, diverse and delicious as its meaty counterpart!

This dinner is packed full of flavour and extremely filling so a great meal if you are looking to lose weight healthily!

Quinoa is a great vegetarian option as it is a source of protein – these tiny seeds absorb all the wonderful flavours and make a fabulously filling meal. It also makes an ideal lunchbox option for the following day.

#4 Quinoa & Halloumi

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Radianthealthnt

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 300g Quinoa
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 pack of asparagus, ends trimmed
• 1 medium size courgette, chopped into discs
• 2 bell peppers, roasted and chopped into strips
• half a jar of sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 500ml vegetable stock
• Block of halloumi, cut into thin strips
• Sprinkle of fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Fry the onion in some oil until soft and add the garlic for a further minute
2. Dry fry your quinoa with the onion and garlic for less than a minute, incorporating the onion mix
3. Add enough stock to completely cover the quinoa and add in your courgette and asparagus, ensuring they are submerged, mix in your oregano
4. Cook the quinoa over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring in more stock as needed to keep the mixture covered.
5. Put on the grill and place the finely chopped halloumi underneath, cook until golden on top and then turn them so they are golden on both sides
6. Meanwhile, ensure that the quinoa is well hydrated adding a little water, check to see if the seeds have released their little tails and are looking plump (you could taste a bit if your not sure)
7. Once all the water is incorporated into the mix and you are confident the quinoa is cooked mix in your cooked pepper and sundried tomatoes
8. Serve hot with the halloumi balanced on top and sprinkle with fresh parsley if you have some

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This 30-minute meal is made with mainly cupboard essentials but packs a punch in the flavour department. Beans are inexpensive, filling and also a prebiotic which means they feed the ‘good bacteria’ in your gut, encouraging a healthy microbiome.

Herbs transform this dish which can be served with jacket potatoes for ultimate comfort food or your choice of wholegrain side…

This recipe also makes enough for you to reheat for lunch the next day. Enjoy! x

Herby, tri-bean stew

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Radianthealthnt

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• Red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1.5/2 cans of Chopped tomatoes (depending on how tomatoey you like it!)
• 3 cans of different beans (I used butter beans, black and kidney beans)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 bag of bouquet garni
• 250ml Vegetable stock (I used bouillion)
• Fresh herbs from your garden (Thyme, Rosemary and Basil)
• 100g sundried tomatoes, drained with any excess olive oil removed and roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Fry the onion in some oil over a medium heat until soft, add the crushed garlic for an extra minute but do not allow to burn
2. Add the chopped tomatoes and mix together with the onion and garlic
3. Drain the beans and rinse them before adding them to the mix
4. Add the vegetable stock and mix again
5. Add the oregano, bouquet garni and fresh herbs (excluding the basil) and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, checking that the beans are submerged in the juice, add a little more stock if needed
6. Turn the heat right down to a simmer and add the sundried tomatoes, cooking for a few minutes
7. Add freshly chopped basil & feta if desired
8. Serve with jacket potatoes or rice

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This comforting curry has literally become our house “beans on toast”. The same feelings of warmth and comfort can be found in this wonderfully satisfying meal.

I discovered mung beans, most successfully anyway, whilst visiting a friend at Google’s London office.

Google is renowned for its innovative staff benefits and this is exemplified in its staff canteens –  it’s all free, for the employees and their guests. There are snacks and drinks on every corner of every floor.

There are healthy (and considerably less healthy) canteens stocking everything from seafood to vegetarian options and burgers and chips!

We ate on the sunny outdoor terrace, overlooking London town and my lunch of choice was the vegetarian curry – mung beans! The thing that makes this special little bean so magnificent is its firm texture that explodes into a buttery  beany inside

Mung beans are a fantastic source of protein, B vitamins including a great source of Folic acid (all the pregnant ladies!) Iron, Magnesium and a very good source of dietary fibre.

This is now a staple food in our home and always a clean plate with my 3 year old. It also packs in 3 of your 5 a day!

Enjoy!x

Mung bean curry

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Author: Radianthealthnt

Serves: 5

Ingredients

• 280g mung beans, soaked for 9 hours (completely covered in water)
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 9 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Half a cauliflower, cut into florets
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into medium thickness circles
• 1 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 Tbsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 lime
• ½ cup chopped fresh coriander
• Rice to serve

Instructions

1. In a large pot, add some cooking oil and saute the onion for about 5 minutes over a medium heat, add the garlic for a further 1 minute
2. Take off the heat and add the spices, stirring until combined, then add in the chopped tomatoes and stir again
3. Add the stock and mung beans. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 10 minutes with lid on.
4. After 10 minutes add your chopped carrots and top up with more stock if mixture is looking dry, the stock should just cover the mixture, stir regularly to prevent the beans from sticking.
5. After a further 10 minutes add the cauliflower and coconut milk and cook until the vegetables are tender and the beans break easily between your thumb and forefinger (usually around 10-15 minutes) stirring regularly over a medium heat.
6. Serve with rice, a squeeze of lime and an abundance of coriander for a fragrant, delicious meal.

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These gluten-free flapjacks are AMAZING. They have a firm, crunchy texture and a divine chocolate layer that literally melts in your mouth.

This is an exquisite combination of coconut, oats and chocolate that is mouth-wateringly good. These flapjacks are a source of protein and wholegrain carbs so they will prevent that afternoon slump and leave you feeling energised and fulfilled.

They are also scarily simple to make and make a great treat for big (and little) people alike.

Store in the fridge for an indulgent and healthier snack!

Chocolate flapjack heaven

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: Radianthealthnt

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 200g rolled oats (use certified gluten free if necessary)
• 6 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 4 tbsp nut butter (I used cashew nut butter)
• 6 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 tbsp honey
• 30g ground almonds
• For the chocolate topping:
• 100g 85% dark chocolate
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

1. Mix the oats, ground almonds and desiccated coconut together in a bowl.
2. Heat the nut butter, coconut oil and honey into a saucepan over a medium heat until combined.
3. Pour over the oats and desiccated coconut and mix well.
4. Pour the mixture into the lined baking dish, spreading the mixture to ensure an even surface and cook for 15 minutes at 140oc fan, or until the edges of the mixture begin to brown. Cool the flapjack.
5. Place the chocolate and coconut oil together in a saucepan over a medium heat and stir
6. continuously until they have melted.
7. Pour the melted chocolate over the oats and allow it to cool once again.
8. Once the chocolate has cooled and set, cut the flapjack mixture into 8 pieces.
9. Store in the fridge and enjoy!

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It’s pancake day in the Davis household and I wanted to make something that my GF & DF clients and followers could enjoy. These pancakes contain buckwheat, a fruit seed related to rhubarb that contains fibre and trace nutrients such as manganese, copper and magnesium. If you are looking for a purely GF version, just substitute buckwheat flour in your traditional  pancake recipe and enjoy!

Gluten & Dairy free pancakes

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

The thing that frustrates me most about gluten free recipes is when they fall apart in the pan - not these! A lovely slightly thicker pancake with a mild coconutty flavour, a perfect base for your favourite topping. Simply add lemon and coconut sugar and enjoy!

Author: Radianthealthnt

Ingredients

• 150g of buckwheat flour
• 400ml of coconut milk (and splash of water if needed)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• pinch of Himalayan pink salt
• 1tsp of baking powder
• Coconut oil for crepe pan

Instructions

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl
2. Mix the coconut milk and egg together in a separate bowl until a smooth consistency
3. Combine the two mixtures and whisk to a smooth consistency
4. Heat coconut oil in the pan on a medium/high heat
5. Cook until golden brown on each side (4+mins per side)
6. Turn with a spatula (do not attempt to toss!)

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This week I experienced the rush – the 5am alarm clock, aka my daughter, the daily commute followed by a full week of clients, exams and some amazing change work.

This week I completed the final piece of the jigsaw, a specialist course in weight management coaching. I have learnt so much by working with some fantastic clients and the great thing is, it is possible to achieve your goal of losing weight. You can do it.

Whilst I was enjoying the course, I found myself (somewhat ironically) running out of time to do food preparation and thought, how apt to write about eating out and the challenges that a busy week can bring.

Eating well on the go

For those of us who have no choice but to eat on the go, it can seem difficult to stick to a healthy lifestyle. When we are sleep deprived and short on time, it is easy to gravitate towards easy energy sources in the form of sugary, salty, fatty foods and they are ubiquitous!

Here are some top tips for eating healthily when short on time:

1. Make your decision before you reach the supermarket, if you visualise yourself making healthy choices you are more likely to do so.
2. Stock up on healthy snacks for the week and keep them in the office/your car/your bag. (Avocado, nuts, seeds and fresh fruit keep well)
3. Make sure you eat a balanced lunch to avoid mid afternoon slumps, that means a good protein source (fish, chicken, beans & pulses) some complex carbohydrate (whole grains and starchy vegetables) and healthy fats (fish, nuts and seeds). If you are buying a prepackaged lunch that may mean you have to supplement by buying other items to make it a complete meal.
4. Make a healthy breakfast that will sustain your energy throughout a busy morning, overnight oatmeal is a great option. Find the recipe (and other breakfast ideas) here.