Tag: health

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Chocolate Banana Smoothie with Flahavan’s Barista Oat Drink #FlahavansOats

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  • 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
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Can eating really affect our sleep? @keelingsfruits. Try Banana with Nut Butter, Yogurt with chopped nuts or nut butter, Hot milk with cinnamon, kiwis and some dark chocolate

  1. Banana with Nut Butter
  2. Yogurt with chopped nuts or nut butter
  3. Hot milk with cinnamon
  4. 2 kiwis and some dark chocolate
  5. Cherry juice drink made with hot water

keelingsfruits

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!

Some sleepy bedtime snack ideas!

  1. Banana with Nut Butter
  2. Yogurt with chopped nuts or nut butter
  3. Hot milk with cinnamon
  4. 2 kiwis and some dark chocolate
  5. Cherry juice drink made with hot water
  6. Porridge topped with banana
  7. Oatcakes topped with cream cheese and berries
  8. Cherries
  9. Wholegrain cereal with milk
  10. Mixed nuts

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Rachel’s baked eggs with tomatoes, chorizo, chilli and cheese

baked-egg-chorizo-cheese

(Serves 4)
Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 large ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped

Salt

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

A good pinch of crushed chilli peppers 
(dried chilli pepper flakes)

8 large eggs

8 slices of chorizo

50g (2oz) manchego or Parmesan, grated

4 slices of bread, toasted and buttered, 
to serve

 
 DIRECTIONS

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas 4. Put a frying pan on a medium-low heat, add the olive oil then add the skinned, chopped tomatoes, see my tip, above left. Season with a good pinch of salt and cook for about 15 minutes, until the tomato sauce is thick and viscous.
Remove from the heat, stir in the chopped parsley and the crushed chilli peppers. Divide the tomato sauce between four ovenproof ramekins and break 2 eggs into each dish. Place a slice of the chorizo on top of each egg and divide the grated manchego or Parmesan cheese, whichever you’re using, between the ramekins.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the whites are set, but the yolks are just ever so slightly soft. Just before the eggs are ready, toast the slices of bread and butter them.
Remove the eggs from the oven and serve with the buttered toast.

http://www.rachelallen.com/post/baked-eggs-tomatoes-chorizo-chilli-and-cheese

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Mary Flahavan’s perfect bowl of porridge..@flahavans

,

· 2 hrs

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

The Perfect Porridge Recipe…

(Porridge on the hob with 3 topping variations)

Preparation time: 2 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves: 3

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