Happy National Smoothie Day! To start your day with a double dose of deliciousness and a much-needed mid-week energy boost, we’re sharing one of our favourite smoothie recipes – Chocolate Banana Smoothie! 🌞💪 Made using our very own Flahavan’s Barista Oat Drink, this smoothie is a game-changer…. cool, refreshing and moreish, it’s the perfect blend of health and indulgence. Enjoy! 🍌🍫 #FlahavansOats#OatSmoothies
Serves 1|Takes 5 mins
Ingredients: 1 Ripe Banana, sliced and frozen 1 tablespoon of Cocoa Powder 250ml Flahavan’s Barista Oat Drink Chocolate/Cacao nibs to decorate
Method: Combine all the ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. If the bananas aren’t frozen, add a couple of ice cubes to the ingredients. Garnish with a few slices of banana and some chocolate nibs and serve immediately. And Enjoy your tasty smoothie on National Smoothie day !!22h
I don’t know about you but I love my bed! And I firmly believe that a good night’s sleep can make you feel so good! Breathing, eating and sleeping are three of the most basic and essential functions we do as humans. But can food affect our sleep or does our sleep affect our food? The reality is that it is probably a bit of both…On average we need between 7-9 hours’ sleep per night with some people managing on less and others may need more. Lack of sleep can lead to irritability, fatigue and difficulty concentrating. However chronic poor sleep has been linked to obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
In general, research has found that eating in line with the Mediterranean or DASH diet, both of which promote fruits and vegetables, fiber rich foods and healthy mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats tends to be associated with better quality sleep. Magnesium is a mineral that is reported to help with sleep regulation and is found in bananas, nuts, green vegetables, tofu and dairy. Melatonin is a micronutrient present in some foods but also a hormone that occurs naturally in the body and helps control sleep patterns. Melatonin, is found in tart cherry juice, eggs, nuts and dairy. Interestingly the tradition of hot milk before bed comes from Roman times… and milk contains both magnesium, melatonin and an amino acid called tryptophan which helps produce serotonin and melatonin.
Kiwifruit is another food that has been reported to have a positive impact on sleep duration and quality. In one four-week trial of adults with sleep problems, consumption of two kiwifruits per day one hour before bedtime significantly increased total sleep time and sleep efficiency. A potential reason for this is that they are a rich source of antioxidant and contain the hormone serotonin. Either way they are also great sources of vitamin C and great for keeping bowel movements regular.
Do you ever feel like you make poorer food choices when you’re tired? There may be good reason behind this. Sleep deprivation can cause a drop in Leptin levels (a hormone that signals fullness) and increases the hormone Ghrelin (hormone that stimulates appetite). This change in hormones can explain why you might eat more when missing sleep or why you tend to eat more without feeling full when you have had minimal sleep. US research from Cedar- Sinai Medical Centre also found that lack of sleep increased insulin resistance. So, we can see that regular good night sleep helps manage hormones, appetite and possible food choices.
Caffeine and alcohol can negatively affect falling asleep and sleep quality so best to keep within healthy limits if struggling with sleep. Maybe keep the caffeine to before midday!
Prawn Thai Green Curry 20 Minutes 4 People Ingredients 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp green Thai curry paste 250ml Avonmore Cooking Cream 150ml coconut milk 200ml chicken stock 1 tbsp fish sauce 2 tsp brown sugar 2 tbsp lime juice 400g green beans, trimmed and halved 800g prawns, peeled and deveined A small handful of fresh basil leaves Directions Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Stir in the curry paste and cook for one minute until fragrant.
Stir in the Avonmore Cooking Cream, coconut milk and stock until combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.
Stir through the fish sauce, brown sugar and lime juice.
Add the green beans and prawns and cook for four minutes until the prawns are pink and beginning to curl.
Stir through the basil leaves until wilted and serve on a bed of steamed rice
We are sharing Mary Flahavan’s definitive guide to making the perfect bowl of porridge, as it’s been handed down through the Flahavan’s family for seven generations.#PerfectPorridge#FlahavansPorridge#NationalPorridgeWeek
Ingredients:
120g Flahavan’s Oats
875mls of whole milk
Method:
Makes 3 x 40g servings on the hob.
Stir oats into milk.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes stirring continuously.
Pour porridge into serving dish.
Serving suggestion 1
Top with greek yoghurt, mixed berries, coconut flakes, chia seeds
Serving suggestion 2
Top with peanut butter, grated dark chocolate and a chopped banana
Serving suggestion 3
Top diced apple, dried cranberries, honey and cinnamon
If you really want to show off to your guests, a gas gun or small propane torch can be used, with care, to glaze the top. If you don’t fancy using apricot jam as a glaze try marmalade or lemon curd instead. To make it even more delicious try making it with day-old croissants or brioche.
Ingredients:
6 tbsp(3oz) Kerrygold Salted Butter, softened, extra for greasing
4 eggs
1 cup (8fl oz) milk
1 cup (8fl oz) cream
finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out
6 tbsp caster sugar
9oz sliced white bread (about 9 slices)
½ cup (3oz) ready-to-eat dried prunes, finely chopped
½ cup (3oz) sultanas or raisins
good pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
4 tbsp apricot jam
pouring cream, to serve
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C), Gas mark 4 and lightly butter an ovenproof dish. Beat the eggs, milk and cream together in a large jug. Mix together the lemon rind and juice, vanilla seeds and sugar in a small bowl and then add to the egg mixture, beating lightly to combine.
Spread the slices of bread with the softened butter and cut off the crusts, then cut into triangles. Scatter half of the prunes and sultanas or raisins into the bottom of the buttered dish and arrange a layer of the bread triangles on top. Pour over half of the egg mixture, pressing it down gently, then repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients and sprinkle the nutmeg on top.
Place the dish into a large roasting tin and fill with warm water so that it comes three-quarters of the way up the dish. Carefully place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until just set.
Remove the bread and butter pudding from the water bath to a wire rack. Heat the apricot jam in a small pan and then brush the top of the pudding.
To serve, cut the bread and butter pudding into slices and arrange on plates with the pouring cream.
Have you ditched cow's milk, but hate paying more for plant-based alternatives? @Anahaugh shares her oat milk recipe, which only costs 12.5p per litre, and you can even use the scraps to make oat cookies! 🥛🍪 #MorningLivepic.twitter.com/VGMGalpIsd
flahavans
20 Minutes
4 People
Foodaware 