Posts Tagged ‘nutrition’

Healthful Pursuit – Dessert Freedom Recipe guide

Happy dessert Thursday! It’s become quite a thing now at Seren to have a foodie Thursday. My latest find in the Raw food realm is holistic nutritionist Leanne Vogel and her website Healthful Pursuit. What drew me to Leanne’s recipes was the use of natural sweeteners from fruit, no evil white stuff. Leanne’s recipes cater for allergies and sensitivities too so everyone can enjoy. There are plenty of nut free treats to try.

Recently Leanne released her first recipe book ‘Dessert Freedom’ all about guilt free desserts. Everything in the book is grain free and vegan. There aren’t huge ingredients lists and I’ve found I can source or replace with an alternative all the ingredients included. It bugs me when recipes contain weird and wonderful ingredients you have no chance of finding without difficulty. Added bonus there is no refined sugar or soy, just straightforward & natural produce.

The first recipe I tried from Dessert Freedom is the Strawberry Chia Squares. Divine on a plate! Best thing about the nut based desserts you only need a tiny piece to be satisfied. I’ve put half in the freezer for a later date.  To get the recipe please support Leanne’s work and purchase her e-book yourself for just $14.95. If you’re a fan of beautiful photography it’s worth getting just to look at the pictures!

Love Seren xx

Seren Blog Raw Strawberry Chia

Raw Cauliflower Sushi

After reading this article by Glamour Magazine I posted on FB on Monday that I’d like to call ‘the truth about sushi’ I wasn’t surprised I’d not eaten any for a long while. Sushi has become a ‘healthy option’ on the fast food menu. Most cities have sushi shops dotted around. It’s convenient and quick. This article really uncovers what nutritional value sushi actually has. Would you go green at the thought of eating two full processed fish sandwiches for lunch but would welcome an eight pack of spicy tuna rolls? They are pretty much the same, big on carbs and low on the good stuff, protein and veg.

Don’t get me wrong I do like sushi, it’s tasty but it kills me. After eating a sushi pack I’d feel satisfied for a while then that huge sugar hit would kick in from all the white rice. Riding the buzz for an hour was great then I’d crash, feeling bloated, sluggish & hungry again. I realised sushi was the culprit so decided to reduce my intake. I barely touch shop bought sushi, unless I’m really desperate.

When I make sushi at home I use brown rice that has been soaked for at least 12 hours to make it more digestible & wash out some of the starch. Last year I invested in a Sushi Express that makes the job so much simpler & less messy. I also discovered the raw food version of sushi that uses cauliflower instead of rice. Perfect!

Raw cauliflower sushi is super simple. I’ve adapted my own version from a few different recipes over time. I break up half a head of cauliflower into florets, whack it into the Thermomix and blend it up for a few seconds. Then add half an avocado to the mix with some pink Himalayan salt and a squirt of lime or lemon juice. Then give it a mix together on reverse. This can all be easily done in a food processor too. The cauliflower will look like rice grains once it’s broken up.

Lay out the nori sheets and spoon the cauliflower mixture on just like you would with the sushi rice. Add whichever raw veggies you like. I usually use cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, carrot and for a non-vegan version some Brie or herby soft cheese.  Roll it all up and you’re away. Cut with a really sharp knife and eat immediately. I’ve found these raw rolls do not keep. Even wrapped up tightly in the fridge they perish pretty quickly and stink the kitchen out (or the kitchen bin at the office opps).

Enjoy! Love Seren xx

Fabulous Food

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 ©Seren Holistic Lifestyles Blog 2013
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Granola bar recipe

Muesli bars are a quick, easy & transportable go too snack. Have you ever read the ingredients label though? The ‘healthy’ snack bar you thought you were having may well contain more sugar and crap than a straight up chocolate bar. Sugar, preservatives, saturated fat, hidden gluten and dairy the list goes on. I personally try my best to avoid such horrors by making my own. They seriously do not take long and investing 45 minutes (30 of which they are in the oven!) to make your snack bars from scratch for a more healthful life isn’t that worth it? They taste better too!

There are loads of recipes on the net. My favourite at the moment is from Lorna Jane’s Move Nourish Believe website. I use my Theromix to lightly chop the nuts before throwing everything else in and giving it a good mix on reverse setting, speed 6/7. Takes five minutes. Use nuts, seeds and fruit that you like the most. The best thing about these recipes are they are so adaptable.

Enjoy! Love Seren xx

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 ©Seren Holistic Lifestyles Blog 2013
 (please share the love with full credit thanks)

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