Sue Hardman

Nourish + Rejuvenate

recipe

Broccoli and Potatoe Soup

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Broccoli Soup

 

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

4 cups salt-reduced vegetable stock

400g/14oz potatoes, peeled, coarsely chopped

450g/1lb broccoli, cut into florets

2-3 handfuls of baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup light sour cream (optional)

1 tablespoon store bought basil pesto / homemade

 

METHOD

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat with the olive oil.

Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned.

Add stock and potato to the saucepan. Bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add broccoli and simmer for 6-7 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.

Remove from heat, add spinach and stir until wilted. Leave to cool slightly so you can blend. This might take up to 15 minutes.

In a blender add basil leaves and half of the soup mixture and blend until smooth. Pour into a clean saucepan and repeat until all the soup mixture has been blended into a smooth consistency.

Heat soup over medium heat for 2 minutes or until just before boiling point.

Combine sour cream and pesto in a bowl. Divide soup among bowls. Top with pesto cream and serve.  For vegan option, simply top with a half teaspoon of the basil pesto and omit the sour cream.

No Bake Lemon Cashew Energy Bites

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No Bake Lemony Cashew Energy Bites

No Bake Lemon Cashew Energy Bites

 

Ingredients:

1 cup cashews

1 cup dates

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

 

Instructions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor, pulse until finely ground, transfer to a bowl, scraping the sides.
  2. Form into an inch ball. Keep them in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Chocolate – Is A Superfood (so it’s good for you)

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Chocolate. Yes it is good for you and here’s why!

Cacao or raw chocolate has been used in South America for centuries for its healthy benefits and energising properties.

Cacao is the dried seed from a South American tree and which is used to make cocoa, chocolate or cocoa butter. Cacao contains many of the same health benefits of the dark green leafy vegetables, however it all depends on a few key things; like how it’s prepared, how you eat it or what you eat it with.

Why is Raw Chocolate good for you?

raw chocolate superfoodRaw cacao beans are full of flavonoids that act as natural antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from ageing and disease caused by free radicals. Raw cacao contains up to four times the antioxidants of traditional cocao powder.

Scientists from Cornell University in the US recently discovered that raw cacao contains nearly twice the antioxidant content of red wine and up to three times the antioxidant content of green tea.

Benefits

These are the amazing benefits of good quality raw chocolate:

  • It’s a top food source of antioxidants.
  • Top source of magnesium – nature’s tranquilliser for helping you deal with stress.
  • Contains the compound that scientists believe is released when you’re in love (Phenylethylamine) – now we all need more of that!
  • Boosts serotonin & endorphins – improves your mood and the feel good emotions.
  • Supports good heart health, helps lower blood pressure and it reduces inflammation – i.e. stops ageing read more about that here

Avoid this chocolate!

Commercial chocolate (bars, sweets etc.) is usually roasted to high temperatures that ends up destroying all the goodness – the anti-oxidants, enzymes and nutrients whereas raw chocolate is not heated above 45°C to maintaining it’s health benefits.

Store bought chocolate bars also mostly contain a lot of sugar and milk which if you don’t know all the negative effects that sugar has on your weight, your skin and ageing then read more here.

The lower the cocoa content in the chocolate bar or sweet the lower the antioxidant level e.g. A 75% cacao bar has approx. 25% sugar.

Uses

Cacao powder is finely ground and easy to add to recipes or smoothies, homemade energy balls and raw chocolate cakes.

The cons

You can have too much of a good thing.  Raw cacao is a stimulant, contains some caffeine and can over stimulate the nervous system, especially if you are sensitive. Don’t consume more than four heaped teaspoons a day.

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE RECIPES

Raw Chocolate Nut Smoothie – Energiser

raw chocolate smoothie

½ cup almonds

2 cups dairy alternative milk i.e. rice milk or coconut milk

2 medjool dates

1 teaspoon raw organic cacao powder

1 banana (frozen if desired)

Directions

Place all ingredients into your blender and mix until smooth and enjoy!

 

Chocolate & Kale Smoothie – Hormone Balancing

chocolate and kale smoothie

  • 1 cup coconut, hemp, or almond milk
    1 frozen banana
    1 cup of kale
    3 tablespoons cacao nib
    1 tablespoon raw cacao powder 5-6 ice cubes

Directions

Throw all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.

 

 

Healthy Chocolate Bar Recipe

raw chocolate nut square

-2 cups of mixed nuts, seeds and dried fruit
– 1/2 cup of coconut oil
– 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
– 1 tablespoon raw honey

 

Directions

Chop nuts into smaller pieces.
Mix all ingredients together, flatten in a baking tray and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours.
Cut into squares.
Store in a refiergate.

To help you get started on your journey to better health, you can start with one of the free resources, whether you’re looking for help with your digestion or gut, choose the first free guide or if you need more energy then be sure to choose the  guide to Endless Energy

 All the resources on this page  are FREE for you to download.

Coconut Oil – Is It Good For You?

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Coconut Oil and Why It’s a Healthy Choice

South Pacific Islanders and Polynesian communities whose diets are high in fully saturated coconut oil,  were found to be healthy and trim, while heart disease was virtually non-existent. Obviously, coconut oil was benefiting the health of these islanders.

I sure you know by now that saturated fats are bad for your health and can lead to a host of negative consequences – like high cholesterol, obesity, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease. But not all saturated fats are the same!

Why Coconut Oil You May Ask? 

It improves heart health, balances your thyroid, boosts your metabolism, increases lean body mass and supports the immune system. It’s very beneficial for the skin coconut-oil-benefitsand has been found to have anti-aging and regenerative effects.

How does Coconut Oil Work in Your Body?

This is of a type oil rarely found in nature called lauric acid, a “miracle” compound because of its unique health promoting properties and it’s also nature’s richest source of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs). These MCFA’s are small, easily digested and are immediately burned by your liver for energy – like carbohydrates, but without the blood sugar spike.


MCFA’s in coconut oil also boost your metabolism and help your body use fat for energy, as opposed to storing it, so it can actually help you become leaner.

Coconut oil has actually been shown to help optimise body weight, it boosts your metabolic rate to improve your energy, accelerates healing and improves your overall immune function and just to top it all – it’s incredibly good for your heart.

The truth is this: it is unsaturated fats that are primarily involved in heart disease and too much sugar and processed foods, not the naturally occurring saturated fats, as you have been led to believe.

How to use Coconut Oil in Your Kitchen
Personally, I mostly use only two oils in my food preparation.

The first, extra-virgin olive oil is the best monounsaturated fat and works best as a salad dressing. However, olive oil and other common vegetable oils such as corn, soy, safflower, sunflower and canola, are absolutely the worst oils to cook with because they oxidise with heat and form trans-fats, that are not good for your at all.

So when it comes to cooking, frying etc., I use mostly coconut oil because it’s the ONLY oil stable enough to withstand the heat of cooking.

So, do yourself a favor and cook with coconut oil.

You can substitute it in most recipes calling for oil; put it in your smoothie or protein powder drink.

A Healthy & Delicious Dessert Using Coconut Oil – even kids would eat

Heat the following together:-

1 TBSP of coconut oil,
1 TBSP coconut milk,coconut banana dessert
1 TBSP cacao or raw chocolate
1 TBSP half teaspoon of honey and

Pour the mixture and coat a frozen banana.

You can roll it in coconut flakes and ground macadamia then freeze for another 30 minutes. It makes a delicious frozen dessert!

Energy Boosting COCONUT POWER BALLS – perfect for when you’re on the go

 

Grain-free protein coconut snack

1/2 cup sunflower or nut butter
2 tablespoons raw honeyor stevia
2 tablespoons cocoa nibs
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
3/4 cup natural, unsweetened hemp/pea protein powder
1 teaspoon organic, alcohol-free vanilla
2 tablespoons hemp seeds

 

 

Mix sunflower seed or nut butter, protein powder, honey, and vanilla until smooth
Then add remainder of ingredients.

Form into 1-inch balls and place in an airtight container . Store in the fridge.

 

If you’re struggling with any kind of hormone imbalance, tiredness, low energy or wanting to lose your excess weight. I’ve  put together a FREE guide for you, so you can start to learn how and why specific foods, and drinks, can help you have more energy and lose weight naturally. 

You’ll find it is easy to add these ingredients into your diet on a daily basis – get your downloadable guide here

In fact, at the end, I’m going to share one simple recipe you can make in under five minutes that incorporates all of these foods.

5foods-loss-weight

Get your copy of the FREE guide:
5 Foods that will help boost Your Energy Levels and Lose Weight Naturally.

 

HERE

The classic hummus recipe

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1 cup chickpeas (rinse and drain well)
+ 1/3 cup Tahini
+ 2 tablespoons olive oil
+ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
+ 1 clove garlic
+salt to tastePlace all ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until smooth.

I’ve found to get the best consistency that you need to add more liquid – you can either add a tablespoon of water at a time, I prefer to add more olive oil.

Be sure to make your Hummus with good quality extra virgin olive oil.

The great thing about hummus is that you can make a number of different varieties depending on what you like – add roasted red pepper
or cooked beetroot, pesto, avocado or cooked zucchini.

It can then be used in sandwiches, smoothing over chicken or fish, and even baked potatoes but I think its best for eating raw vegetables like carrot, cucumber or celery.

To find out all the health benefits of hummus read here

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Hummus so much more than a dip

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Do you plan or consider what you’re going to eat for the day?  Do you ever consider the role of functional foods? These are foods that have a beneficial nutritional role – whether it be to provide your body with essential nutrients, balance hormones or to help your liver with the detoxification process.  Of course, if food doesn’t look or taste good then you’ll struggle to find me eating it – it’s best when all 3 are delivered.

Hummus is a creamy Middle Eastern dip that I’d class as a superfood with all it’s health benefits and I hope it will be a staple in your home after reading this.

Why eat hummus?

The classic hummus recipes contains 6 ingredients: chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, sea salt, and tahini.Hummus contains the following nutrients: Protein, Fiber, Healthy Fat, Carbs, Vitamins – A, C, Vitamin B6, Folate and Minerals – Iron, Zinc, Calcium, Phosphorus and Manganese

The benefits of each ingredient:

  • Chickpeas are protein, fibre-rich legumes, a natural source of phytoestrogen, (which isn’t actually estrogen but does a good job of standing in for it) and a great choice if you’re looking to reduce your meat consumption. They’ll keep you feeling fuller for longer because of that combination of fiber and protein.

    Many Mediterranean nations experience great health, low heart disease and greater longevity. This may be due to the high fibre content – like chickpeas. Studies show that having just one daily serving (about 3/4 cup cooked) of beans of any kind can help to decrease chances of a heart attack and to help balance “bad” LDL cholesterol.

    Chickpeas have also been shown to have protective properties against cancer, while the fiber helps to keep waste moving out of the body quickly.

    It helps to balance blood sugar levels and decreases the chance of developing diabetes or insulin resistance.

    Diets rich in beans have been shown to help protect heart health partially due to their low score on the glycemic index. A high-fibre diet that includes legumes can help lower blood cholesterol levels, among other benefits, such as lowering heart disease risk, type 2 diabetes risk, and aiding in weight loss.

  • Tahini or sesame seeds contain lignin’s another natural source of phytoestrogens, loaded with fibre, and they’re also a great source of minerals.Sesame seeds are considered one of the ultimate reproductive foods in Ayurveda.as they enhance egg and sperm quality and quantity.
  • Olive oil is not cooked, and will therefore not be oxidised and hydrogenated.  Olive oil has been found to reduce inflammation in your body. Regularly consuming olive oil has been correlated with improving blood pressure levels, glucose metabolism, and reducing harmful cholesterol.
  • Raw garlic has a whole host of benefits including flavonoids, oligosaccharides, selenium, high levels of sulfur, and more. Garlic has been proven to help reduce your risk factors associated with heart disease, cancers and it acts as an anti-fungal, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral.
  • Lemon juice is alkalising and helps reduce acidity common in most modern diets, it also helps to increase your immunity, boost digestion, and to help keep blood sugar levels stable.
  • Sea salt best from a good quality source i.e. Himalayan sea salt which contains 60 trace minerals that have numerous health benefits:

Hummus is an anti-inflammatory food:

  • Extracts from garlic have been shown to reduce inflammation and help fight wrinkles and aging.
  • Chick Peas reduce inflammation, blood clots and inflammation markers.
  • Olive oil and sesame seeds reduce inflammation and provide important antioxidants, both which play a part in maintaining heart health by keeping the structure of arteries and cell walls healthy.The role of inflamm- ageing in a previous post you can read it here.

Recipe
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