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June 13, 2019 BLOG

Healthy GF Vegan Breakfast Ideas

Since I know eat gluten-free (for Annabelle’s food allergies) and also vegan and soy-free I am getting more creative in the kitchen to make some yummy healthy breakfasts so I thought I would share with you 10 breakfast ideas that are gluten-free and vegan!

My top 10 healthy GF vegan breakfast ideas:

Chia puddings with coconut milk and berries
Homemade buckwheat bread and smashed avocado or peanut butter /almond butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
GF Bread and cooked mushrooms and spinach for a cooked breakfast.
GF granola with nuts, seeds, coconut and dried fruits and a dollop of coconut yogurt. yummy!
Black bean tacos for a fancy weekend brunch at home.
Buckwheat porridge using raw buckwheat groats soaked and cooked in nut milk.
Quinoa porridge made with quinoa flakes and added stewed apples and cinnamon.
Smoothies : cacao and hemp seeds; banana, tahini and cinnamon; berries & almond butter- these are some of my favourite combo.
Buckwheat pancakes with warm blueberries and maple syrup. Hello sunday morning!
Coconut yogurt bowls for quick and easy weekday breakfasts with berries, sliced up bananas, linseed, hemp seeds, pepitas and nuts of choice.

I hope this little lists helps you! You can find more meal inspo on my Instagram or contact me if you have any questions.

May 7, 2019 Recipe

Strawberry Oat Crumble Slice

I absolutely love this super easy strawberry oat crumble slice recipe. It can be made in less than 5 minutes (especially if you use store-bought healthy jam) and is really healthy as well as being vegan, wheat-free, refined-sugar-free (depending on jam used!) and also nut-free. The perfect afternoon tea treat! And is so healthy can be eaten for breakfast too!!

Strawberry Oat Crumble Slice (Vegan, wheat-free, refined-sugar-free, nut-free)

• 1 ½ cup of quick oats;

• 1 cup of buckwheat flour;

• 1 tsp of cinnamon powder;

• 2 tbsp of sweetener of choice;

• ½ cup of melted coconut oil;

• ½ cup of homemade strawberry jam;

• handful of fresh strawberries

Strawberry Jam:

• 1 lemon

• 2 cups of fresh strawberries;

• 1 tbsp of sweetener

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius;

2. Blend the strawberries in a blender then cook on low heat on the stove with the added lemon juice and sweetener;

3. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week

4. While you make the strawberry jam, mix the quick oats and buckwheat flour in a mixing bowl.

5. Then add the cinnamon and sweetener then combine with the melted coconut oil.

6. In a small square tin lined with baking paper, press down ¾ of the crumble mixture.

7. Spread a layer of strawberry jam on top and some cut up strawberries.

8. Then sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture on top and place in the oven.

9. Bake for 45 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius.

May 4, 2019 Recipe

Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Seed Bread

I made my own bread! For the first time ever I made my own bread. The only reason I decided to give it a go is because since having to cut out wheat due to Annabelle’s food allergies I have been missing bread a lot and I only find 1 kind of gf bread that is also vegan and soy-free and it is super expensive!

I have made this recipe two weeks in a row and I love it with smashed avocado or a peanut butter!

To make it more savoury I even added dried italian herbs and garlic powder the second time! So yummy.

Gluten-free Vegan Bread

with Thermomix method (optional)

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups almond meal – 150 grams
1 cup buckwheat flour – 140 grams
6 tbsp psyllium husk
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds or other seeds
3 tsp of baking powder
3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar -60ml
1/2 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of rice malt syrup or maple syrup – 40ml
2 cups of water – 500ml

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl ( or in your thermomix in reverse mode speed 1 for 30sec) Remove all the lumps.
Then add in the rice malt syrup, apple cider vinegar and water and combine well. (Thermomix speed 2 reverse for 40 sec)
Pour into your loaf tin lined with baking paper.
Add extra seeds on top.
Cook for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Keep in the fridge for up to 1 week or store slices in the freezer to have on hand.

April 28, 2019 Recipe

Why I choose Califia Farms!

Have you reached your #chocolatelimit this past Easter weekend? Are you already
thinking of what recipes to make for Mother’s Day? I have a great new recipe for you: Almond Raspberry Buckwheat bread – this recipe is gluten-free, vegan and refined sugar-free so you can feel good about enjoying a slice or 2!

I collaborated with Califia Farms to create this recipe and used their Unsweetened Almond Milk. I love that their plant-based milks have no added sugar and are carrageenan-free. They also have great taste, texture and the bottles are pretty cool! You can find them nationwide (Australia) in the main supermarkets as well as independents like your local IGA. They also have an awesome range of cold brew coffees and I need to try them next for my morning coffee – especially their XX Espresso Cold Brew! I have been making vegan sweets for over 4-5 years and using a quality plant-based milk such as Califia Farms Almond Milk can really make or break plant-based baking!
So here is the recipe- I hope you like it! Don’t forget to tag me @healthyfrenchwife
on Instagram if you make it! I love seeing your recreations.

Almond Buckwheat Raspberry Bread

1 cup of buckwheat flour
1/2 cup of almond meal
1 cup of Califia Farms Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/2 cup of coconut sugar or sweetener of choice
2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 cup of melted coconut oil
1/2 tsp almond essence
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup of frozen raspberries
slivered almonds to top

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Line a loaf tin with baking paper
3. In a mixing bowl, add the buckwheat flour, almond meal, essences, sweetener,
baking powder and combine.
4. Then add the almond milk and stir.
5. Add the melted coconut oil and combine well.6. Pour into your loaf tin and press some raspberries in the dough as well as top the
bread with extras and the slivered almonds.
7. Bake for 50 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

March 19, 2019 Recipe

Vegan Hazelnut and Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

Who does not like hazelnut and chocolate together??! I looove love love this flavour combination and I can eat vegan homemade healthy nutella by the spoonful. I made these mini vegan hazelnut and chocolate cheesecakes for my dad’s birthday last week. We all loved them!

Vegan Hazelnut and Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

Base:

1/2 cup of almonds
1/2 cup of hazelnuts
1 cup of pitted dates
1 tbsp of water
1 tbsp of cacao

Cheesecake Layer:

1 cup of soaked cashews 4-6 hours
6 tbsp of raw cacao powder
1 tsp of vanilla powder
1/2 cup of rice malt syrup
1/3 cup of melted coconut oil
1/3 cup of roasted hazelnut butter (homemade nutella)
Melted raw chocolate + roasted hazelnuts to top

First make some homemade vegan chocolate hazelnut butter by roasting 1 cup of hazelnuts in the oven for 10min at 200 degrees and blending with 1/4 cup of maple syrup, 1/3 cup of cacao and 1/3 cup of coconut oil. (This recipe will make more than you need for the cheesecakes – you can top them with it or use it for toast/ dipping fruit! )
In a food processor blend the base ingredients together then press down into silicon muffin moulds.
Then drain your soaked cashews and blend with the cacao, coconut oil, rice malt syrup and hazelnut cacao butter and the vanilla.
Pour on-top of the raw bases and freeze for a few hours.
Top with melted chocolate and extra hazelnuts and keep in the fridge for a few days or freezer for a few weeks.

If you make this recipe or any of my recipes I would love to see it so please tag me on Instagram @healthyfrenchwife thanks xx

March 19, 2019 BLOG

10 Healthy Weight Loss Tips that Actually Work

As a nutritionist, I know one of the main motivation for people to go see a nutritionist is to lose weight or get healthy. Now I do not believe in fad diets or following the keto diet for weight loss (more on that in another blogpost) but here are my quick 10 healthy weight loss tips that actually work. They have worked for me after my pregnancies and some of my friends/clients and I hope they can help you too!

Find a few healthy recipes that you absolutely LOVE.

In order to make a healthy diet a life-long habit you need to find recipes you enjoy making and eating! I recommend you find a few favourite simple and healthy meals for breakfast, lunches and dinner that can become your new “go-to”s each week.

Some of our family favourites are vegan lentil dhal curry served with cauliflower rice or brown rice, vegan kale pesto pasta, a roasted vegetable couscous or quinoa salad, blueberry porridge, smoothies, avocado and hemp seeds on sourdough and plant-based zucchini, eggplant and lentil lasagne with a cashew cheese sauce.

Eat Plant-Based

Even if you don’t go fully vegan (although I do recommend it for your health, environment and the animals), eating plant-based a few times a week or a few meals a day can really improve your health and help you lose some extra weight. I lost about 6kg when going vegan after having my twins and it has helped me get back to my pre-pregnancy weight both pregnancies. Eating plant-based means eating a large amount of vegetables, fruits and wholegrains as well as legumes. I do not mean eating vegan cheese/bread/chips and vegan ice-creams (although they all have a place in a healthy diet as a treat!).

It is high in fibre so fills you up with high nutrient and low calorie dense foods (the fibre fills you up not the protein…) It is also proven that eating a diverse plant-based diet is the key for a healthy gut microbiome. Not only eating plant-based is good for your health and tummy but it is also good for your wallet- eating more rice, legumes and vegetables is much cheaper than meat!

Make your own Healthy Treats

If you follow me on Instagram or here on my blog you will know I love baking and making healthy raw treats! I am a firm believer in having small portions of my own homemade vegan low sugar treats a couple of times a week to satisfy my sweet tooth. Trying to go cold turkey and completely off treats is not really a sustainable healthy weight loss habit. I much prefer teaching my clients to swap unhealthy sugary treats for good quality dark chocolate or making their own baked goods. I have 1-2 squares of dark chocolate most days after dinner!

Making your own healthy treats also means you can control how much oil, sugar goes into it and use healthier flour alternatives such as buckwheat or wholemeal flour and avoid processed ingredient, fillers, additives and preservatives.

Snack on fruit or veggies

When hungry try grabbing a piece of fruit first before reaching for other snacks. Fruits are so good for us and I am tired of everyone fearing them and the fear of sugar in fruit! I recommend having at least 2-3 pieces of fruit a day for getting a variety of nutrients, vitamins and fibre. Snacking on veggies is also great but truth be told everyone prefers snacking on fruits and that’s okay! Just fill up on veggies at lunch and dinner. Having more fruit really is my number one health tip! So many people avoid them completely and it is sad. Nature’s intended for us to eat them that’s why they are so delicious! And no study ever found eating fruit to be the cause of obesity or diseases! Eating 2-3 pieces of fruit a day is a very healthy habit to keep for life and to share with children. Swapping unhealthy snacks or fatty snacks such as too many nuts, chips or processed treats for fruit is a great way to achieve your goal of weight loss.

Reduce Fats

This might be a little bit (or a lot) against the latest trend of increasing fats in our diets. People used to eat a lot of fat from animal fat, fried foods and baked foods and with the healthy movement and paleo/ keto diet people have now replaced bad fats such as margarine with healthy fats but these are still fats. Eating 50% of your calorie from fats is not healthy and will not help you lose fat. The good fats are good in the diet but in small quantities only.

And do not worry about not absorbing fat-soluble vitamins in your diet – there is a little fat in every food- no need to soak your salads in olive oil, eat coconut oil by the spoon and eat lots of nuts and avocados. Processed fats are of course very unhealthy and you should limit those for weight loss.

The advice of snacking on nuts is actually I believe not helpful when people are wanting to lose weight. Fat pack a lot more calories per gram than carbs and protein. A quick comparison 1 tbsp of coconut or olive oil has 120 calories compared with 14 calories for 1 tbsp of brown rice and only 7 almonds contain already more than 50 calories. Having a few handful of nuts could lead you to consuming over 400 calories in a few minutes. I do not recommend buying the LOW FAT dairy products as they are full of added sugar but simply eating plant-based low fat foods without adding too much fat in the form of dressings, cooking oils and too many nuts.

Stop fearing carbs

As I mentioned above, I believe in a plant-based diet lower in fat to achieve good health and long-term weight loss. A recent study performed in 16-week randomized clinical trial found that the increase of carbohydrates and overall fibre intake as part of a low-fat plant-based diet was beneficial for weight loss, body composition and insulin resistance. (source: study)Eating plant-based, whole foods carbohydrates are much lower in calories and provide very important nutrients and vitamins that your body, liver and brain need. Glucose is the key for maintaining your body alive as opposed to fats. You should eat a large amount of vegetables, moderate amount of fruit and lots of healthy wholegrains such as brown rice, quinoa, oats and other wholegrains.

Fill up at breakfast

Starting the day with a healthy breakfast is important to set up yourself for a good day full of energy. I do not believe in Intermittent fasting as we all already do it overnight from dinner to breakfast. And for some people, not having breakfast leads them to over eating for the rest of the day as they think they deserve to indulge since they skipped breakfast.

My recommended healthy breakfasts are: porridge, overnight oats, chia puddings, smoothies, wholemeal bread and avocado/ nut butters.

Reduce drinking

Are you drinking 1-3 flat white coffees a day? 1-2 wines a night? Coffees and alcohol can hide a lot of calories and amount to a third of your calorie needs per day. Reducing your takeaway coffees and alcohol can help you lose some weight as well as feel healthier. Replace them with lots of water for a healthier you!

Ditch the all or nothing philosophy

Life and food are meant to be enjoyed. I do believe in relaxing healthy eating habits on special occasions, holidays and birthdays! But the rest of the time if you have an indulgent breakfast, a slice of cake with a friend or too many chips when going out it does not mean you have ruined it all and need to pig out for the rest of the day/weekend/week or even month!

Exercise

This quite common sense but exercising combined with a healthy diet is the key for long-term weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. Find something you like doing, with your loved ones or children on the weekend and do it! Exercise is so good for anxiety and mental health too!

Please consult with a nutritionist, doctor if you need further advice or before starting any drastic lifestyle and diet changes. I am available for worldwide nutrition consultation should you seek further professional advice.

March 7, 2019 BLOG

Sleep X Review and my 6 tips for a Healthy Sleep

Sleep X Mattresses Review and my tips for a good night sleep

I was lucky enough to be gifted to single SLEEP X mattresses a few weeks ago and they have been used by my toddler twins since going in their “big kids” beds. They have loved their new Sleep X single mattresses and beds and have been sleeping great! They are non-allergenic, antibacterial and Australian made. The mattresses arrived in boxes and were so easy and quick to open and ready for use. They also make great trampolines for toddlers!

If you want to order a Sleep X mattress I have a 10% off code for you: HEALTHSLEEPLIVE. #sleepx #sleepxmattress #xandgoodnight

As a mum and nutritionist, I know how important sleep is- for both your physical health and emotional health! Lacking sleep as a new mum is very hard. It is probably the thing I like the least being a mum – having to lose sleep a lot for the first few years. That is why I was very interested in trialling the Sleep X mattresses as I wanted to make sure my twin toddlers will have a good night sleep.

My 6 Tips for a Healthy Sleep for adults and children:

Remove chocolate/ caffeine treats in the afternoon and evenings

Reducing coffee intake and chocolate in the evenings especially just before bed time can make a world of difference if you struggle to fall asleep at night. Chocolate contains cacao which contains caffeine. Some people are very sensitive and you might think you are fine but your evening chocolate habit might be the reason why you cannot fall asleep before midnight! Children are even more sensitive to caffeine so make sure your little one isn’t having too much cacao or chocolate in the afternoons/evenings.

Reduce fatty meals

Eating high fat- heavy meals before bed can lead to the feeling of indigestion and acid reflux and make it hard to fall asleep. Laying on your left side and having a peppermint/digestion tea can help if you have had a heavier meal than usual.

Develop healthy bedtime rituals

Bedtime rituals are so important for babies and children to develop good sleeping habits but are still relevant for adults. Bedtime rituals such as a bath or shower, putting on your favourite pyjamas, moisturiser, a cup of herbal tea and reading a book can help your brain switch from daytime to night-time!

Reduce blue light exposure

I am very guilty of spending my evenings on my phone, computer or watching TV but did you know phones emit an artificial blue light which can disrupt your circadian rhythm that causes the release of melatonin helping you sleep. The artificial blue light makes your brain believe it is daytime thus falling asleep can be more difficult and you won’t sleep as deeply. I now use some blue light glasses in the evenings or turn off my phone 30 minutes before going to bed and instead read a book.

Create a nice environment

Having a comfortable mattress, a dark fresh room, clean crisp linens and a warm doona makes it so much more enjoyable to go to bed. My twins love going to bed in their ‘big kids beds’ and I do too! I also diffuse lavender essential oil in our room for sleeping deeply and we keep the temperature of the bedrooms comfortable.

Eat a healthy diet high in magnesium

Magnesium is a very important mineral for a lot of reasons including for having a good night sleep. You can get your magnesium from green vegetables, avocados, nuts, seeds, whole-grains and fruits such as a banana (which contains 9% of your magnesium RDI).

Sometimes it might be required to add a magnesium supplement in your diet if you are someone who sweats a lot, are very active, stressed or pregnant. Magnesium supplements can come in tablets, powders or topical creams. Make sure to check with your pharmacist for the best dosage and form for you. I personally use a magnesium powder and it made a huge difference during my pregnancy to fight off pregnancy insomnia!

If you have tried a few of these healthy sleep tips and still struggle with insomnia you might want to consult with your doctor and check your thyroid and other hormone levels for example.

The Sleep X mattresses were gifted to me by the company Sleep X but these are my tips and own review.

February 28, 2019 Recipe

Plant-based zucchini eggplant lentil lasagna

Midweek dinner never tasted so good! I have the yummiest healthy lasagna for you!

It is:

super delicious and creamy with the vegan cashew cheeze sauce
plant-based as well as loaded with veggies and #oilfree
super easy to make
and gluten-free (no pasta!)

I hope you like it as much as I do xx

Plant-based zucchini, eggplant and lentil lasagna

2 medium zucchinis
1 eggplant
1 jar of tomato passata sauce (500ml)
2 tsp of garlic powder
2 cans of cooked lentils
Dried oregano
Salt and pepper

Roast at 180 degrees Celsius your thinly sliced eggplants and zucchini in the oven for 15 minutes.
Add a layer of passata sauce at the bottom of your lasagna dish, then layer the eggplant, lentils (rinsed and drained), more passata, zucchini, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper, more lentils, eggplant, zucchini until you finish them all and finish with the cashew cheeze.
Cook in the oven for 30 minutes at 180 degrees and serve.

Cashew Cheeze sauce
1 cup of cashews (soaked for 3-6hours or in boiled water for 15 min)
1/3 cup of nutritional yeast
1/3 cup of almond milk
1 tbsp of tapioca flour
1 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp of salt
Pepper

1. Soak, drain and rinse the cashews.
2. Blend all the ingredients together and pour over your lasagna.

February 14, 2019 Recipe

Vegan GF Baked Raspberry & Vanilla Donuts

Happy late Valentine’s day! I did not make anything special for the day but I did make these cute donuts the day before. These are gluten-free, soy-free, vegan (dairy-free, egg-free), refined sugar-free and very yummy.

Vegan GF Baked Raspberry Vanilla Donuts

Makes 6 large or 12 small donuts.

1 cup of GF flour
1/2 cup of almond meal (or extra flour to make it nut-free)
1/2cup + 2 tbsp of nut milk (or rice milk to make it nut-free)
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 cup of coconut sugar
1 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence
Handful of frozen raspberries .

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and spray a donut tray with coconut oil or grease with oil.
In a mixing bowl mix all the ingredients together apart from the raspberries.
Spoon the batter in the donut moulds -about halfway, press some raspberries in them and place the tray in the oven.
Cook for 15-20 minutes at 180degrees Celsius.
Top with melted dark chocolate or your favourite icing.

Best enjoyed the same day.

January 25, 2019 Recipe

Vegan Peanut Butter Choc Chip Loaf

If you have been following me for a while you will probably know that baking loaves/sweet breads are some of my favourite recipes!

I made this yummy peanut butter choc chip bread last week and it was a big hit. delicious, wholesome, vegan and refined sugar free!

I have been very busy in the background working on 2-3 exciting projects for the year!

Peanut Butter Choc Chip Bread

1 1/3 cup of wholemeal flour
1/2 cup of smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup of @happywayau Vegan Peanut Butter Protein Powder
2 tsp of baking powder
1/3 or 1/2 cup of sweetener of choice
1 tsp of vanilla
1 1/2 cup of almond or any nut/soy/oat milk
1/2 cup of vegan dark chocolate choc chips

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Line a loaf tin with baking paper.
In a bowl combine all the ingredients together. Do not over stir.
Pour into your tin and add extra choc chips on top.
Cook for 50-60 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.