A peek into my kitchen this week and what I have been making

Whenever I am stressed I bake sweet indulgent treats - banana cake, chocolate slice, protein balls - you get my drift! With a confessed sugarholic husband who can never say no, I am always cooking up a storm to satisfy his sweet cravings. I have however had a recent diet overhaul. I had been feeling tired, always needing that 3pm sugar hit, having anxiety and just feeling not my bouncy self. I decided that I would wean myself off gluten, sugar and lactose then slowly increase them back into my diet. I lasted for 7 days, then in one stressful moment I caved and the mars bar that I had been so tempted by all week was eaten. The sugar hit was instant, the headache started and then the sugar crash came just as quickly as the high...I reevaluated my eating habits and decided that maybe that week of deprivation was a little drastic and have since cut back to eliminating all refined, processed and packaged foods. I spent up at the butcher, farmers markets and the health food aisles and liked what I saw in my fridge and cupboard. A balanced, healthy and wholesome diet with room for some indulgent treats that just don't contain actual servings of refined sugar.

So here's a little snippet of what I have been eating and indulging in, I have been busy in the kitchen and loving it...

I have been starting my day with fresh green smoothies, juices, eating lots of fruit and vegetables and taking inspiration from Nicole Joy's book 'Eat Dessert For Breakfast'. It was a recent birthday gift from my sister and its great - there are ways to have a sugar hit and this book is the proof with lots of amazing recipes! You may have seen my yummy banana cinnamon and walnut crumble mousse recipe? Well you guessed it - its a recipe from the 'Eat Dessert for Breakfast' book!

Beginner Green Smoothie Recipes

Click the link for the recipes

Banana & Cinnamon Mousse with Walnut Crumble

Click the link for the full recipe

Banana Chia Coconut Bread

Click the link for the full recipe

Lemon Yoghurt Muffins

Click the link for the full recipe

I even made my own Almond Milk to enjoy with my new delicious muesli combination!

The process essentially involves soaking almonds in water over night or for up to two days — the longer you soak the almonds, the creamier the milk will be. You then drain and rinse the almonds from their soaking water and grind them with fresh water. The resulting liquid, drained from the almond meal, is almond milk. You can see the process below!

With the leftover Almond Meal you can add it to smoothies or muffins as it is. I chose to spread it out on a baking sheet and bake it in a low oven until completely dry (2-3 hours). The dry almond meal can be kept in an airtight jar then, ready to be used in baked goods. I used my leftover almond meal when baking my Lemon Yoghurt Muffins.

Healthy Home Made Breakfast Muesli Recipe

This recipe will make a large batch, mix together in a large mixing bowl then store in an airtight container.

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

3 cups buffed buckwheat

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup chia seeds

1 cup linseeds (aka flaxseeds)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

*optional - 1/2 cup chopped raw nuts (preferably almonds or macadamias)

So these were just some of the recipes whipped up in the kitchen this week. I hope you will be inspired to try some of them - take my word for it, they are all delicious! x