Strawberry Santas - Healthy & Sinful version!

What you need:

½ tub Quark or whipped cream

2-3 tbsp sweetener - for use if making healthy version of recipe

12 strawberries

24 chocolate balls or seeds for eyes

Instructions:

In a bowl, mix together the Quark and sweetener .Cut the bottom off the strawberries (pointed bit) to create Santa's hat. Spoon or pipe the Quark or cream mixture on top of each strawberry and down the front (to create his head and beard) and place the hat back on.Add two little chocolate balls or seeds to make his eyes and serve as soon as possible.


*Whipped cream from a can sets better than standard whipped cream

Low fat Mushroom soup

Fill up your belly with this tasty and nutritious healthy soup to get you through these cold evenings!

What you need:

• Coconut Oil
• 2 onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 large potato
• 500mg mushrooms chopped
• 1.5ltrs vegetable stock
• freshly ground black pepper

* Low fat greek yoghurt

Instructions:

1.Put some coconut oil into a non-stick saucepan and place over a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, potato and mushrooms and stir-fry over a high heat for 5-6 minutes.

2. Add THE STOCK and bring to the boil. Cover and cook gently for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Season well.

3. Using a food processor, blend the soup until smooth. Serve the soup sprinkled with fresh herbs & season with black pepper

Optional – To make soup creamier, stir in a dollop of low fat greek yoghurt

Fab cakes!!

Hi guys , If you are looking for cakes for any occasion and based in Dublin i highly recommend 

https://www.facebook.com/bellesweetcreations

These cakes are an example here that myself and sister had the pleasure of enjoying - two of them were made for baby showers and one for a Christening

x

Mothercare Xpedior Review

Before I had my baby, we had a big decision to make and that was what type of pram/buggy to go for as there are HUNDREDS on the market! For some reason I was steered towards Mothercare and after checking some out we decided on the Mothercare Xpedior. The buggy comes in a range of colours and as we knew we were having a baby boy we decided on blue.

What I really like about it is that it can either be parent facing or forward facing.With that, you get the chassis, the carrycot which then converts into a sitting up pram, the car seat, a very large basket underneath, footmuff, rain cover etc.

It can be purchased with four wheels or three wheels - We chose three wheels as I was advised this would be good for steering around corners etc. The car seat is very straightforward and easy to put into the car but it just takes some time to get used to especially if you are a first time mother and have not done it before. After a while you can do it with your eyes closed! It is very lightweight and compact and easy to fit in the car boot

It is good value for money because it feels very high quality. Also another thing I like about it is that the push bar can be changed to different heights, which was quite important for me because my partner is 6ft 2 and I am quite tall myself

I am very happy with the pram and my baby is really cosy in it and comfortable, one of the minor issues is that the brake is easy to kick by accident when walking which is quite annoying but once you are aware of it you can try and avoid it...

Here is the link to check it out:

http://www.mothercare.ie/mothercare-xpedior-base-pack.html

Ham and Tomato Omelette

I had a busy day today as i am weaning the baby and he is teething so i made an omelette which are quick and easy to make.

There are some pretty cool benefits of eggs!

Eggs are a good source of protein and are rated as the highest quality of all protein after whey. They contain a good source of vitamin A and are extremely nutritious. Eggs are highly fulfilling and tend to make you eat fewer calories and best of all the are quick and easy to make

What you need:

4 free range eggs
Cherry Tomatoes
1 onion
3 -4 tablespoons of light grated cheddar cheese
A tablespoon of coconut oil
Wafer thin Ham
A couple of cloves of garlic

Preparation:

Chop tomatoes and ham and onions and garlic into small pieces
Fry the garlic in the coconut oil
Beat eggs, tomatoes, ham, cheddar cheese and onions together in a bowl
Add the mixture to the frying pan and cook
Pop omelette on the grill to cook the top
Garnish with fresh herbs

I served mine with a side salad of chopped spinach, cucumber and onion with some balsamic vinegar as i was trying to use up what was left in the fridge!

Clean chinese style chicken curry

What you will need:

3-6 chopped chicken fillets depending on how many you are serving 2 tablespoons of coconut oil 2 large onions, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tablespoons curry powder ( i ended up adding another spoon) 500ml chicken stock - make up more if you want lots of sauce 1 tablespoon tomato purée 2 tablespoons Greek-style yoghurt

1 tablespoon of tumeric

1 tablespoon of mango chutney 1 tablespoon of corn flour and a dash of milk ( mix this up to make a paste to thicken the sauce)

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or flameproof casserole. Add the chicken and brown it on all sides for 6–8 minutes over a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic to the mixture stirring regularly. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Then enter the stock, tomato purée, tumeric and mango chutney Put in your greek yogurt next
Mix well , bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until tender, turning the chicken pieces halfway through cooking. Sometimes i also add a green pepper to the mix and i serve the curry with brown rice

N.B If the sauce is not thick enough make up your paste above and you can increase the mixture to thicken the sauce

Enjoy

xx

Smoothies for weight loss

For years of my life i feasted on white toast and real Irish butter or a sugary cereal or cereal bar for breakfast - Let's face it this was just a bad habit !I first tasted a smoothie in a  juice and smoothie bar when the juicing trend started in Ireland which was not that long ago and i remember thinking to myself how can something full of goodness taste so delicious ( as we know normally things that are good for us don't taste to nice) and it was from that that i decided to make my own and i purchased a smoothie maker. 

I usually have a smoothie for breakfast as a meal replacement and smoothies by far could be your best kept weight loss secret :-)  It will kick start your metabolism and the protein and fibre will keep you full until lunch time. I always add ice to mine as i like them nice and cold

Blending your smoothie is the quickest and easiest way to prepare your healthy food especially fruit and vegetables and i always find making them is a great way to get your daily intake of vitamins and minerals and the kids love them! The other benefits are that they give you energy, reduce cravings , make your hair healthy and your skin glow and boost your immune system and well being

My favourite part of the day is the morning - I enjoy a fresh smoothie and i go for a long walk with the baby in the buggy.
I feel great and very energised after. Below is a  list of foods that i keep in the house for smoothie making and you can pick fruit of your choice but make sure you do not use fruit to high in sugar and if you are going for tinned fruit get it in it's own natural juice and not syrup

Unsweetened Almond Milk

Coconut Milk

Skimmed milk

Frozen Berries - Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries

Bananas

Spinach

Peanut Butter

Almond Butter

Chia Seeds

Oats

Cucumber

Pears

Apples

Flaxseed

Pineapple

Mango

Coconut

Honey

Stevia

Algae

Coconut Oil

Low fat greek yoghurt

Coconut Water

Cinnamon

So what are you waiting for....? Get blending!

xx

Vanilla Berry Smoothie

What you will need:

2 cups of unsweetened almond milk
1 small banana
3-4 scoops of vanilla protein powder
A handful of raspberries
A handful of blueberries
2 tablespoons of oats
Crushed Ice









Preparation:

Blend all of the above until smooth, pour into a glass and Enjoy!

xx