NUT GRANOLA

Most people find breakfast the hardest meal of the day when Banting, and I'm no exception. When you're in a hurry, packing lunches, getting washing on the go, making the bed, it's really hard not to grab a quick slice of toast, or a yummy bowl of cereal packed with sugar. Stop, don't do it! I know it's been said so many times before, but breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. If you get enough fat for breakfast you should stay full for ages. You will maintain steady energy levels throughout the morning rather than the ups and downs of a cereal sugar rush.

One of the things I love to eat for breakfast is a really yummy nut 'granola' with berries and yoghurt. I've found The Real Meal Revolution's recipe to be fantastic. It's such a wonderful combination of crunch and cream, and it's a great quick brekkie when you don't feel like cooking. 

Remember to reach for the full cream plain yoghurt, as the low fat and fat free options usually have hidden sugars to make up for lost flavour. 

Of all the fruits, berries are the greatest option as they have the lowest carbs - blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, gooseberries, any berries you like! I keep a bag of frozen berries in the freezer for those emergencies when there are none in the shops. Defrost them overnight in the fridge.

Don't feel that you have to stick to these exact nuts. In Botswana it's not always easy to find all the nuts in the recipe so I mix and match as I please. I also add unsalted macadamias, and pecans are also a good choice. Avoid cashews as they contain higher carbs than the other nuts.

Enjoy!

These frozen berries create the most amazing juices!

NUT GRANOLA
Serves 12 - 15


100g walnuts

100g sunflowers seeds

100g hazelnuts

100g almond flakes

3 tbs coconut oil (the coconut oil gives it a lovely flavour, but I have used olive oil before 
and it turned out just fine)

2 tsp ginger powder

2 tsp cinnamon


½ tsp nutmeg



Preheat the oven to 160°

Chop the nuts roughly and put them aside.

In a large frying pan, fry all the spices in the oil, then add the nuts and mix them up.

Place the nuts in an oven tray and bake them for 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't burn.

Cool the nut granola on paper towel and store in an airtight container

AVO AND TUNA SALAD

Today was was my first day on a LCHF (low carb, high fat) eating plan. I say eating plan and not diet because it's really about a healthy lifestyle change. Okay, and maybe a little about losing weight too!

Breakfast was a couple of perfectly boiled eggs - nothing too exciting - so I needed to make up for it with lunch. I was going to make a lovely avocado and tuna salad, but then I remembered I am not supposed to eat mayo as it's packed with seed oil which is toxic. I then remembered that I had just bought a yummy cream cheese which, mashed with a little avo, was a perfect substitute. 

This is such a light, summery meal and you really won't miss the mayo at all. Trust me!

Avocado and Tuna Salad
Serves 2

1 avocado

1 - 2 tsp cream cheese - full cream, not low fat

1 tbsp spring onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp celery, finely chopped

1 lemon, half juiced and half cut into slices

1 tin of tuna in brine

mixed lettuce 

sea salt and black pepper

Cut the avo in half, scoop out a tablespoon from each half and mash it in a bowl with the cream cheese. 

Add the chopped spring onion and celery. Then add the lemon juice and seasoning to taste. Finally, add the tuna and give it a good stir.

Scoop the tuna mix back into the avo. Place the lettuce and avo on a plate and garnish with  couple of lemon slices.

So easy peasy and so delish!

It's the real meal REVOLUTION!

So, I've just started reading The Real Meal Revolution. It's a book about how we should stop eating carbs and if we do we'll all lose heaps of weight and we'll feel more healthy and energised etc. etc. etc. (We've heard it all before right?) Well I'm always keen to try something new so I thought 'Why not?'. Clearly I forgot that sugar is a carbohydrate... What?! No sugar?! Not only no processed sugar, but also no fruit! Okay, I'm being a bit dramatic here. You can eat a certain amount of fruit, but it is limited. On the plus side there is a large amount of fat eating involved - bring on the streaky bacon and butter! 

Now, there are quite a lot of rules that you have to stick to, and I'm not always that great at abiding by the rules, but I'm just going to take one day at a time and, hopefully, I'll be low carbing it all the way to the skinny bank soon! I'm going to jot down some meal ideas over the next few weeks so that you can try get a little motivated, just in case you want to low-carb it with me. You can buy your copy of the book online at Kalahari.com, and I'm sure you can also get it at pretty much any reputable bookstore in South Africa. 

Wish me luck! xx