Snack
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Recipe: Protein iced coffee
This protein iced coffee makes a great pre- or post-exercise drink with all the benefits of coffee and protein in one tasty beverage. As seen in the article Coffee and health, coffee may improve many aspects of health. When it comes to exercise, these potential benefits including metabolic, bone and neurological health. While a cup of coffee usually doesn’t contain enough caffeine to enhance athletic performance, it can certainly increase your alertness before a workout. It also has the potential to help with post-exercise muscle glycogen recovery. This recipe uses both milk and protein powder to achieve a great combination of protein content and taste. The protein will help counteract…
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Recipe: Carrot and orange muffins
These carrot and orange muffins are a healthy treat you can bring to your next picnic. They also make a great alternative to store-bought muffins and cakes. Keeping with Nutrition Australia’s Try For 5 campaign, this recipe can help you sneak in some carrots to your daily intake. Make sure you also try the purple sweet potato brownies recipe from last week. These muffins are free of gluten and added sugars. They do contain butter but you could use oil to make them completely dairy-free. The basic recipe does not call for any spices but you can add a pinch of any of all the following spices, which work well…
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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: Macadamia coconut and lime bliss balls
Bliss balls are the perfect snack when you are not that hungry and/or you intend to share. You can bring them to the office, the gym, picnics, etc. These macadamia, coconut and lime bliss balls are not only delicious, gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan but also sugar-free. (That does not mean you should eat the whole batch, though). Enjoy! I normally use Macro macadamias and shredded coconut from Woolies. Use a natural sweetener, such as this one or this one.
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Recipe: Lamington bliss balls
These tasty snacks are called lamington bliss balls because they share two key ingredients with the Australian iconic cake: chocolate and coconut. As they are not real lamingtons, you don’t have to wait until the next Australia Day to make or eat them :). The hardest step of this recipe, besides melting the chocolate, is waiting for the chocolate to dry. These lamington bliss balls are gluten-free and can be made dairy-free/vegan depending on the chocolate you choose. Enjoy!
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Recipe: Easy guacamole
Guacamole is one of the easiest and tastiest ways of consuming avocado. It can be eaten as a dip (with corn chips, crackers or vegetable sticks), as a topping for chilli, tacos or salads, on toast, in burritos, wraps, burgers, etc. There are many ways of making guacamole and, in general, I think you should make it however you like. Having said that, I do follow a few rules: Use lime, never lemon Any kind of onion can be used: red, brown, green, eschalots. Just make sure it’s finely chopped. Never use garlic The tomato is optional, particularly if you’re sharing with people with food sensitivities Black pepper is optional…
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Recipe: Gingerbread bliss balls
These gingerbread bliss balls are a great treat to make in the holiday season. This is mainly because unlike actual gingerbread, you don’t have to rely on baking nor decorating skills. Make a batch or two to enjoy during the holidays or to give as gifts. I like using dry roasted nuts mainly for flavour. Feel free to use raw nuts if that’s what you have on hand. You may also use regular dried dates instead of Medjool but you may need to soak them in hot water and then drain them to soften them up. This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan.
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Recipe: Black sesame baba ganoush
Black sesame baba ganoush is also (see my recipe for black sesame hummus) my kind of dip. Tasty, healthy, black. It looks scary enough for people to avoid it, so there’s always more for me. Make it for Halloween or any other day. Black sesame seeds are widely used in Chinese medicine. Science suggests they may lower blood pressure and protect against oxidative stress (1). They may also reduce total cholesterol and LDL levels as well as protect cardiovascular, liver and kidney function, among other positive outcomes. Scientists have found at least 20 metabolites that are higher in black sesame seeds than in the white variety and might be responsible…
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Recipe: Black sesame hummus
Black sesame hummus is my kind of dip. Tasty, healthy, black. It looks scary enough for people to avoid it, so there’s always more for me. Make it for Halloween or any other day. Black sesame seeds are widely used in Chinese medicine. Science suggests they may lower blood pressure and protect against oxidative stress (1). They may also reduce total cholesterol and LDL levels as well as protect cardiovascular, liver and kidney function, among other positive outcomes. Scientists have found at least 20 metabolites that are higher in black sesame seeds than in the white variety and might be responsible for their health benefits (2). Hummus is also pretty…
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Recipe: Anzac biscuits with protein
It’s that time of the year again, that time in between hot cross buns and Christmas pudding. That time when supermarkets display piles of tins of Anzac biscuits. This is a variation of the recipe I shared last year: better (gluten-free) Anzac biscuits. As the previous recipe, it uses uncontaminated oats, which should be safe for people with gluten allergy/intolerance. You may also use other brands, such as Bob’s Red Mill, but keep in mind international standards for gluten-free products are less strict than Australian. This recipe also uses a whey protein based product called 180 Nutrition Grass-fed Protein Superfood, which contains whey protein isolate, seeds, nut flour, coconut flour,…