The Sweet Life

This is a delicious granola recipe from Sarah Wilson's IQS book. I love breakfast but i have never been a big cereal eater as i've always known that cereal is loaded with sugar, so I would often opt for a 'healthier' muesli options, but a lot of muesli's are also loaded with sugar (especially fructose - honey, dried fruits etc). After reading IQS i soon realised that fructose is the enemy! Fructose makes us eat more as its a molecule that doesn't allow hormones to tell our brains when we are full and to stop eating. Fructose also converts directly to fat - it's not used straight away as energy but converted directly to fat - see Sarah Wilson's "I Quit Sugar" book for more information about fructose and its effect on your body. You will notice that instead of sugar/honey i am using rice malt syrup. Rice malt syrup (can also be called rice syrup or brown rice syrup) is made from fermented cooked rice. It is only made from rice and water an...

This soup is incredibly simple to make, taking only about 15 minutes from start to finish! Be careful if you are adding the soups straight into the pot, not to overdo the noodles as they soak up the liquid and you'll loose the soupiness of this dish. Ingredients 2 tablespoons oil 3 garlic cloves (chopped) 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (grated or crushed ginger in a jar) 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste 2 boneless chicken breast or thighs (sliced) 4 cups chicken stock 1 cup water 2 tablespoons fish sauce 2/3 cup coconut milk 6 oz. dried rice vermicelli noodles 1 lime (juiced) Sliced red onion, red chilis, coriander, spring onions, mung beans (optional - to garnish) Method 1. In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil, garlic, ginger, and Thai red curry paste. Fry for 5 minutes, until fragrant. 2. Add the chicken and cook for a couple minutes, just until the chicken turns opaque. 3. Add the chicken stock, water, fish sauce, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. At this point, ...

Its been a long time coming BUT I finally have time to add a new recipe to The Sweet Life! Yay! Since moving back to NZ from the UK and getting back into teaching again I have been so busy... it has been a huge shock to the system. But now that i've got through to the end of the year and have a bit of down time I can focus again on what makes me happy... food :). So after the festive season i've been slowly getting back on track with my eating. This week i bought fresh blue cod fillets and experimented with some toppings tonight...which turned out to be delicious. This recipe is super quick and easy. It could work with any firm white fish or salmon. The salad is easy to chuck together and you can add anything to it BUT the toasted seed topping is a must as it adds a bit of crunch and sweetness to the dish! This recipe serves 2.  Ingredients Fish Parcels  2  fish fillets (I used blue cod) 2 teaspoons crushed garlic (you can use fresh garlic) ...

Another very simple but tasty recipe. A healthy twist on your traditional quiche.  I have been eating this quiche all week for lunches. Its so easy to just throw into the microwave and heat up for an easy lunch or even dinner.  The key to preventing a soggy quiche is to reduce the moisture in your vegetables. This is why the spinach is squeezed dry and the mushrooms get cooked before adding to the quiche. I start by washing & draining the spinach in a colander and then squeeze the rest of the moisture out before adding it to the dish. Ingredients 8 button mushrooms (thinly sliced) 3 cloves garlic  (thinly sliced) 100g spinach (washed and roughly chopped) 150g of cooked peas 4 large eggs 1 cup almond milk (or normal milk) ¼ cup grated Parmesan  Handful of grated cheese (I use mozzarella)  Salt & pepper Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180 ℃ .  2. Wash & chop spinach, getting rid of any excess water. C...

It looks like there are a lot of steps and it takes forever, but these really do come together in 30 minutes. Its the waiting for the chocolate to set and slightly harden that takes forever! (But no one says you can't cut into them when it's still all melty!).  I store them in the fridge so the chocolate stays hard.  Ingredients The Bars 1 cup whole almonds  1 cup pecans or walnuts  1 ½ cups old fashion oats 2 tablespoons chia seeds ½ cup coconut flakes ¼ cup honey ¼ cup coconut oil 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or essence) ½ teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons almond butter The Chocolate Glaze 1 Tablespoon coconut oil 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate (chopped) ¼ cup coconut flakes  (chopped) ¼ cup pecans or walnuts (chopped) Method  1. In a food processor add a ½ cup of the almonds, ½ cup of the pecans, and ¾ cup of the oats.   Process until it turns into a fine powder (about a minute - make sure you don't ove...

These frozen coconut & chocolate bounty bars are amazing! If you are craving a chocolate bar but don't want the guilt then these bounty bars are by far your best answer! The recipe only has a few ingredients and is also really easy - you just have to wait a few hours for the coconut mix to freeze, but trust me its worth it!  Ingredients Bars 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut ⅓ cup coconut cream ½ teaspoon of vanilla essence Chocolate Coating  4 tablespoons coconut oil 2 tablespoons cacao powder ½ teaspoon of vanilla essence Method  1. In a bowl mix the shredded coconut with the coconut cream and the vanilla extract, blend well with a spatula or a spoon.  2. Place the shredded coconut mixture on a small tray/dish lined with baking paper.  3. Shape it into a flat rectangle about 4 inches by 6 inches and 1 inch thick (measurements may vary). 4. Place in the freezer for 2 hours, until frozen solid. 5. Remove from...

This 30 minute Buddha Bowl recipe is a balanced, healthy lunch or dinner meal that comes together in no time! It’s a flavourful combo of healthy grains, prawns and veggies with a creamy, citrusy yogurt dressing.  Ingredients Buddha Bowl: 150g large prawns 1 large portobello mushroom (sliced) 1/2 courgette (sliced) 30g of grains (I used a mix of red & white quinoa & bulgar wheat) Large handful of kale (washed & drained) 100g of black beans(washed & drained) 3 cloves of garlic (roughly chopped) Large handful of coriander (roughly chopped) Small cube of butter Coconut oil for frying Dressing (optional): Squeeze of lemon juice A big dollop of natural Greek yoghurt Sprinkle of chopped coriander Method 1. Add the grains to a small amount of boiling water (I also add 1/4 of a veggie stock cube for extra flavour) & simmer for 20-30mins until cooked. 2. While the grains are cooking, add a small amount of coconut oil to a pan over medium ...