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Recipe: Warm roasted Brussel sprouts and baby beetroot salad
Warm roasted Brussel sprouts and baby beetroot salad is a great way to have vegetables in your first meal of the day. It is great for brunch but you can also eat if for lunch or dinner. This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free. I use great quality pastured bacon from Feather and Bone but you can omit it if you don’t eat pork. Other sources of extra protein that would work well are leftover chicken, canned or cooked lentils or chickpeas. I like a sprinkle of dukkah (a Middle Eastern mix of nuts/seeds, herbs and spices) but feel free to substitute your favourite flavour/crunch toppings or omit completely. Salt and…
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Recipe: Kefir banana smoothie
This kefir banana smoothie is a great way to incorporate fermented milk drinks into your diet. It is great for breakfast or as a post-workout drink. You can use any kind of dairy or non-dairy unsweetened kefir or other fermented milk drinks, such as filmjölk or drinking yoghurt. The protein powder is optional, depending on your needs. For example, you can add it if you’re having this smoothie as a post-workout drink or it’s all you’re having for breakfast. I prefer unflavoured protein powder, such as natural whey protein isolate (WPI) from either True Protein or 180 Nutrition. You can also use your favourite unflavoured plant-based protein.
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Recipe: Sweet potato frittata with kale and feta
This sweet potato frittata with kale and feta is perfect for make-ahead breakfasts or as a light meal any time of the day. It keeps well for 4-5 days in the fridge and can be frozen for later consumption, too. I used goat’s feta, which pairs great with the sweetness of sweet potato. Traditional feta made from sheep and goat’s milk would work great, too, as would regular cow’s milk feta. This recipe is gluten-free and vegetarian. It has a decent amount of protein (22.9g per serve) and the 28.4g of carbs from the sweet potato are lower GI and come packed with micronutrients (see potatoes vs sweet potatoes for…
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Recipe: Spinach and tomato frittata
I love frittatas because they are so versatile. They can be eaten any time of the day, hot or cold. They are also great for using vegetables that might not be at their prime. This spinach and tomato frittata is a basic recipe, a blank canvas for culinary creativity. As it stands, this spinach and tomato frittata is gluten-free but not dairy-free. You can make it dairy-free by using non-dairy yoghurt and nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavour. If you do dairy, you can use cream instead of sour cream and your favourite cheese. Also, feel free to add your favourite herb(s) and/or spice(s). I would suggest dried oregano, fresh…
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Recipe: Shakshuka with feta
As I’m still having food withdrawals from my trip to Israel earlier this year, I have been trying to replicate some dishes in my kitchen. Shakshuka is perhaps the most popular breakfast dish in Israeli cuisine. It’s basically eggs poached in a rich tomato-based sauce, served with bread, optional toppings and a few sides. Shakshuka with feta is one of my favourite variations. This dish is gluten-free if served with gluten-free bread. I used Nonie’s Food gluten-free pita, which like all their breads is outstanding. This is a vegetarian breakfast but you can omit the cheese for a dairy-free/vegan version.
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Recipe: Peanut butter protein banana bread
This peanut butter protein banana bread is great for breakfast, morning tea or afternoon tea. Because it’s high in protein, it also qualifies as a great post-workout snack. This treat is gluten-free and can be dairy-free. In addition, it does not contain added sugar. Notes on ingredients: I think this is common knowledge by now, but in case you didn’t know: super ripe bananas make the best banana bread You can use either smooth or crunchy peanut butter, as it will be ground further in the food processor anyway I used natural whey protein isolate from True Protein but you can use any type of whey or plant-based protein powder…
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Recipe: Morcilla and eggs with broccolini and braised fennel
Morcilla is a type of blood sausage that is popular in Spain and its former colonies. In Perú, it is mostly enjoyed in a bread roll, but I like to pair it more interesting accompaniments. Hence, I created this brunch recipe: morcilla and eggs with broccolini and braised fennel. A couple of good morcilla brands in Australia are Rodriguez Bros and La Boqueria. The recipe calls for a few different steps just because I wanted to choose the best cooking method for each element to achieve the desired end result: tender fennel, bright crunchy broccolini, brown morcilla slices and gooey eggs. However, there is no reason for you not to…
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Recipe: Asparagus and feta frittata
This asparagus and feta frittata is a quick breakfast you can make on the weekend and refrigerate to eat during the week. It’s a great way of consuming quality protein, calcium and vegetables in the morning. Of course, you can also pair it with a salad to have it for lunch or dinner. You can use this same basic recipe as a template and substitute your favourite vegetable and cheese. Feel free to add your favourite herbs and spices, too.
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Recipe: Banana pancakes
Banana pancakes are the perhaps the easiest pancakes you’ll ever make. This recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free. The basic recipe has only 2 ingredients: banana and eggs. That’s 1 serve of fruit and 1 serve of protein foods ticked off for the day. I add cinnamon because I love its taste and it helps control blood sugar. Ripe bananas work best for this recipe, as they are easier to mash. Smaller pancakes are easier to flip. If you are like me and the sweetness of the banana is enough, you can use unsweetened yoghurt (e.g. YoPro or Rokeby Farms) or peanut butter (e.g. Mayver’s) as toppings. These will also…
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Portable breakfast ideas
I was recently motivated to come up with some portable breakfast ideas. Based on recommendations by Dr Valter Longo and others, I’ve been aiming to keep my food intake within a 12 hour window every day. The main reason I’ve struggled to comply with this rule is that sometimes I get home pretty late (8pm or later) after working out. The solution To solve this, I’ve adjusted my breakfast time to ~8am, which means I now eat breakfast at work. This means my breakfast has to be: a) portable and b) not too weird (okay, maybe just a little). The breakfast ideas Below is the nutritional breakdown of several combos…
