Almond Pancakes with caramelised banana and walnuts

I’ve found a healthy breakfast that keeps me full until lunchtime. Now that’s an achievement! I’m constantly eating and since I was pregnant with twins, I can’t leave home even now without a container of nuts, an apple or a date bar in my handbag (actually normally its all 3!). I worked with a good friend once in a hotel banqueting team who introduced me to the concept of ‘elevenses‘. This would normally involved a cup of tea and something sweet to get us through until a late lunch break … timing it just right so that the client lunch buffet had just been cleared and we could eat the leftover client food rather than the staff canteen food! Working in a hotel there was never a shortage of sweet treats to go with a cuppa and my ever expanding waistline showed it. After making Almond Pancakes the other morning, I was pleased to notice I skipped my usual constant all day snacking, made it right over elevenses and was good until lunch without even thinking about food. These pancakes could even be a post-workout treat!

Sprouted Buckwheat Granola

In the last week I have heard a few friends saying:

1. I have a packet of Buckwheat I don’t know what to do with…
2. I have a dehydrator I have hardly used…
3. I want to make more raw food but don’t know where to start…

Well, in this house we fit into all 3 categories! So I came across a Sprouted Buckwheat Granola recipe and it seemed like a good idea since we are on the sprouting bandwagon at the moment. Alfalfa sprouts – tick. Zesty mixed sprouts – tick. Sprouted Buckwheat for granola – tick!

Sweet Potato Hash

I can’t say I’ve joined the Paleo craze, but I am definitely interested in it. Well parts of it. Actually I read an article a little while ago about becoming Pegan. It kind of makes more sense to me than anything else – eat low GI, eat good fats, increase fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds in your diet and treat grains, dairy and meat as a treat. Click here to read more…

I pretend to be pegan but truth be told I just try to eat a balanced healthy diet…with a few treats of course! I choose to eat food with high nutritional content when I can and follow a few simple nutrition rules I’ve learnt along the way. I try to ensure I eat vegetables or green things with every meal and include superfoods when I can. I strive to not eat too much bread, but when I do it’s homemade with very few ingredients or packed full of seeds and nuts. I swap cows milk for coconut or almond milk where possible and palatable and decrease sugar or substitute for natural sugars if I can. And I carry healthy snacks like raw almonds with me in my handbag so I don’t reach for something I’ll regret. Lastly, cheese on toast is not my go-to late lunch of choice! These are lessons I can teach and share with my children.

We visited a The Paleo Cafe in Townsville when back home for Christmas. They had an amazing looking cookbook for sale that had some great looking recipes that looked super easy and super tasty. I spent the entire meal with my head in the cookbook ignoring my darling husband and letting the kids play in the kids corner! One thing that caught my eye was sweet potato hash that appeared there and other paleo restaurants we’ve been to. What’s better than sweet potato hash? Sweet potato hash with soft poached eggs on top! The soft centred poached eggs oozing out into the sweet potato that helps soak up the yolks and mop up every last delicious mouthful. It’s my new favourite breakfast and if I have an extra few minutes in the morning, you will find me holding the box grater going for gold with my sweet potato! Here is the recipe if you want to try it too…