Who doesn’t like pancakes for breakfast?

The American are the kings of fluffy pancakes, they just have this tendency to drown them in maple syrup, which makes them a little bit less attractive from a nutrition standpoint. The health conscious amongst you will have noticed that and that’s why the web is now awash with “healthy” pancakes or three-ingredients pancakes.

Just a quick reminder, no food is unconditionally healthy, it’s all about amount and frequency so don’t you fret about having a bit of maple syrup once every so often.

Back to the three-ingredient pancakes, you’ve seen them right: banana, egg and peanut butter – yum! Except that, I don’t find them yum… They don’t have the consistency of “real” pancakes and they are too sweet for my liking. Each to their own I suppose but they aren’t for me.

Last night I was pondering about breakfast and I decided to try a half-way recipe between the traditional and “healthy” pancakes and it went a bit like this…

Ingredients: (for three people)

• 110g oats
• 1 tbsp. flaxseeds
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds
• 3 medjool dates
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• a pinch of sea salt
• milk
• coconut oil
• berries
• greek yoghurt to serve

 

Method:

Place the oats, seeds and dates in a powerful blender like a Vitamix or similar and blitz everything to obtain a flour.

Tip in a large bowl, mix in the baking powder and salt and add the eggs. Mix together slowly so as not to form any lumps and when you have a solid mass start adding some milk gradually until you reach the consistency of double cream and leave the batter to rest for 20 min or so. You may well need to add more milk after that because the fibre content of the seeds tends to thicken the batter quite a bit.

Heat up a pan with a tsp. of coconut oil per batch and when your pan is hot enough drop several spoonfuls of the batter in, then add the berries on top – I find it works best to cook the blueberries and add strawberries at the end but you could do it the other way round. You’ll know to flip the pancakes when the top has bubbled up,  then cook them for another 1 min and serve!

I served mine with fresh strawberries and a dollop of Greek yoghurt.

Enjoy!

Breakfast pizzas: I like breakfast and I like pizzas so it was only a matter of time before I was to combine them I suppose…

I’ve come to the conclusion that what I like the most about pizzas is eating them with my hands, there’s something quite childish and quite tactile that I really like. Writing this I realise that I’m perhaps a bit hypocritical given that I’m always telling my children to use their cutlery but I suppose I’m trying to teach how to eat most of the time and I do let them eat pizzas with their hands!

Anyway, back to breakfast! I made one of those breakfast pizzas last week and was blown away by how it ticked so many of my breakfast boxes plus I got lots of comments on Instagram about them and I promised people the recipe, so here it comes.

I’m not sure you could make several in advance, I’ve never tried, and fear they may end up a bit chewy. It may seem a bit indulgent to turn the oven on just for one breakfast but I tend to bake my breakfast pizzas when I already have something in the oven, especially as I want the base to cool down before I add my toppings – channel your inner student and think of cold pizzas…

For the topping you could be as creative as you want really! I tried with peanut butter yoghurt and blueberries and vanilla yoghurt and kiwis but I’m thinking that cream cheese and strawberries would work quite well, even savoury ones, the possibilities are endless!

Ingredients:

• 25g oats
• 1 tbsp. sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp. pumpkin seeds
• 1 tsp. ground flaxseeds
• 1 tsp. chia seeds
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste (omit for savoury ones)
• 1 egg white
• I added a few peanuts just because I had them but that’s totally optional.

 

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

Transfer into a springform cake tin (mine is about 15cm) and evenly press the mixture all over the bottom. Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for 20min and leave to cool.

Top the base of your breakfast pizza with some kind of spread such as yoghurt, stewed apple or nut butters then add fruit or vegetables on top. I like yoghurt because it adds to the protein content and I like adding fruit for a touch of sweetness but that’s totally up to you!

I used to called these “breakfast cheesecakes” but I don’t like the name anymore. Firstly, I don’t tend to eat them for breakfast only (although you could) and secondly, it gives the impression that these are “healthy” mini cheesecakes. In fact, it gives the impression  that they are so healthy you could have them for breakfast when the actual truth is that most nutritionists, including me, wouldn’t advise you to break your fast with cheesecake. I suppose you could have cheesecake for breakfast, although it probably wouldn’t set you up for the day in the best way. Having said that, there are quite a few good elements about cheesecake such as lots of protein and calcium for example.

I don’t like the new name either to be honest, but that’s the best I came up with and feel free to pitch me better names. 

As cumbersome as it is, the name does reflect what they are and what they were designed to do for me though. I wanted something high in protein that wasn’t meat or just eggs so I fell back on yoghurt but I struggle a bit with yoghurt sometimes. It might sound strange but I never got used to “English yoghurt”, “French yoghurt” tastes different. Anyway, sometimes I don’t fancy yoghurt but I need more protein because I don’t eat a lot of meat and this is how this recipe was born. 

My little cakes are reminiscent of the  “Käsekuchen” , or baked cheesecake, my German uncle used to make, so we’re back to the cheesecake idea.

People often ask me about protein and a lot of my clients are drawn to protein bars but I’m not always keen on them. First, they are extortionately expensive! They are also really processed and in as much as I’m not fanatical about everything being “natural”, I think it makes sense to reduce our exposure to ultra processed food (UPF). My final and perhaps most important issue with them is that they often contain a type of sugars, which don’t get absorbed by the body, called sugar alcohols (they have nothing to do with the alcohol we drink by the way). They are useful to food manufacturers who want to reduce the sugar and calorie content of their products, precisely because the body doesn’t absorb the said sugars. However, they can exacerbate digestive issues and cause bloating in some people, especially when consumed frequently and/or in large quantities (by large quantities I don’t mean tons, a couple of those bars for some would be enough to cause digestive unease). Given that most of my clients, disordered eaters, suffer with their digestion and bloating, those bars aren’t my favourite. 

These little cakes are my solution to an easy, tasty, cheap and nutritious source of protein. Ok you have to make them but I tend to double the recipe and make 12, so it lasts me a week or so. They contain around 10g protein, 92mg calcium and only 4g of “real” sugar per cake. Aside from the cost of the electricity, they probably cost around £0.50 per cake, there’s no plastic, they are portable and they really do taste nice! I had to make some for my kids too, which is telling I think.

Ingredients:

• 500g Greek yoghurt
• 2 medium eggs
• 6 tsp. caster sugar
• 1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
• 3 tbsp. semolina
• 1 tsp. psyllium flour (it helps avoid excess moisture)
• Frozen raspberries if you feel so inclined…

Method:

Place the yoghurt in a large bowl making sure to drain off any liquid beforehand. Add the sugar and vanilla and mix well. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, whisk in the semolina and psyllium gradually so as not to form lumps, then add to the yoghurt mix.

Divide into 6 muffin cases and add a few raspberries, or anything else you want, on top.

Bake in a preheated oven for 40min at 150°C and leave it to cool before eating.

They work for breakfast, a light dessert, or an afternoon snack. I’m not sure they would freeze terribly well though so do eat them up!

A little breakfast friendly cake: portable, nutritious and delicious!

Pear and almonds are like a match made in heaven! Here I’m using ripes pears, which are very sweet and that means I don’t need to add any sugar. I’m not anti-sugar but why add any if you don’t need to? I saw someone making breakfast muffins yesterday in a program about losing weight and the recipe called for apples, honey, bananas, sweeteners, raisins and brown sugar! Really? To start the day?!

Why have cake for breakfast? Why not, I say… Given that it doesn’t contain any sugar and is mostly oats, egg and fruit, its name refers to its form rather than content; not exactly the same as starting the day with a piece of black forest gateau, is it?

Sometimes when you don’t have much time in the morning you want to be able to grab something before you head out. I can’t say that this is often my case but quite a few of my clients start early, have long commutes or travel around and for them having portable food is essential and this breakfast was very much created with them in mind.

It is meant for one person but, of course, feel free to make more and freeze so that you always have one to grab.

You could easily make this gluten-free if needed, just use oats that are certified GF and GF baking powder.

Ingredients:
• 30g oats
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 ripe pear
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. ground flaxseeds
• 1 tbsp. almond butter
• ¼ tsp. vanilla bean paste

Method:
Peel the pear, core it and mash it in a large bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Tip all the dry ingredients in the mixture and mix until well combined then swirl in the almond butter.

Pour the mixture in a greased metal tin or a silicon mould and bake for 20min in a preheated oven at 180 °C

You could also cook this in the microwave, which would be a lot quicker but not quite as like as you wouldn’t get the crunch. I’m afraid I can’t give you timings for cooking in the microwave as I don’t have one.

Everyone likes granola because it’s crunchy and sweet and delicious. A lot of people also avoid it because it’s crunchy and sweet and delicious. They worry it’s going to make them gain weight because it’s high in both fat and sugar. Look I’m not going to lie, commercial granolas are high in fat and sugar. Does that mean we should avoid them? No. Shout we opt for low sugar versions? Go ahead but I have never had any that actually tasted like proper granolas. At best they were nice mueslis, at worst it was like eating sawdust and life’s too short for this.

Unsatisfied, I took it upon myself to create my own version. A version that is lower in both fat and sugar but that doesn’t compromise on taste and texture – more on that in a sec.

Portions matter

I know you are worried about the calorie content still but do remember that portions matter and that balance is key. If you have a bowl full of any granola (even mine), your breakfast isn’t going to be very balanced: not enough protein or fibre, too much fat and sugar. So I use granola as a breakfast topping, a nice crunchy addition, rather than the main ingredient of my breakfast. I’d have it with some yoghurt and some fresh/stewed fruit, not on its own.

I haven’t added dried fruit to my granola precisely because I often have it with some fresh fruit. Nothing stops you from adding a few raisins or any dried fruit chopped up. I’d probably add them after baking though because they can quickly burn and become really hard and bitter, which isn’t what we’re after.

What makes this granola different from all the others you have tried before

I make mine quite differently to most recipes I have seen around. I decided to whizz the oats into a flour because I really wanted all the ingredients to clump together. I like texture, crunch and big chunks in my granola not just powder.

You may wonder what the water and egg whites are doing on the ingredients list so here is why. The clumps in a granola come from sugar and since balance is key we don’t want too much. The water helps the dry ingredients bind together while reducing the overall fat and sugar ratio. See it as a way to reduce fat and sugar without using “low fat” products and artificial sweeteners. We still want fat and sugar, we just want to dose them differently. The water will evaporate during baking, it won’t be soggy.

Now for the eggs, this came to me literally as I was baking the granola. I was half way through baking and it was good but good enough… I wanted clusters and crunch, and not just a few. It suddenly came to me that egg whites would be an excellent way to achieve the results I wanted. Plus that increases the protein content and everyone knows that a high protein breakfast sets you up for the day. Some of you might be horrified about the eggs and worried about salmonella or something but it’s cooked! How long does it last? I don’t know but I can’t see a problem, after all meringues are baked egg whites and they last forever (fact). Also, it doesn’t really last long enough in my house to have ever been a problem.

I’ve seen a lot of food bloggers having used my tip over the years, which I definitely see as a compliment! Please don’t be shy though and let me know if you try this recipe and that it works for you. I’d love to know your thoughts and see your creations.

Ingredients needed for your best ever granola

• 300g oats
• 200g ground almonds
• 100g dessicated coconut
• 200g pecans
• 100g sunflower seeds
• 110g coconut oil
• 110g honey
• 110g water
• 4 egg whites
• 1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
• 1 pinch of sea salt

How to make your granola

Whizz the oats into a powder in a food processor then mix them with the almonds in a large bowl. Pulse the pecans into small pieces (since you’ve got to clean the food processor anyway you may as well!). Add to the bowl along with the coconut and sunflower seeds.

Heat up the oil, water, honey, vanilla and salt together in a saucepan until completed melted. Next pour the mixture into the bowl and mix with a knife – that it’s the best way to get lots of clumps (this is how I make crumble).

Now place your mixture onto a couple of bake trays, spreading it evenly. Place in a preheated oven at 140 °C for about 30min.

After 30min, whisk a couple of egg whites in a bowl and pour on one of the trays. Make sure you quickly mix the granola around without breaking all the clumps. Repeat with the second tray and put back in the oven for another 30min. Turn the mixture after 15min to make sure you get an even bake.

Those breakfast muffins came from thinking about my clients, who most of the time are really busy. They live hectic lives and too often don’t make time for themselves or for meals and my job is to help them shift this imbalance.

They can hardly quit their job (although some have changed companies or have gone free-lance from our sessions), often they can’t help the fact that a meeting has been set for 8am despite the fact they have a 2h commute.

The first meal to go tends to be breakfast: “don’t have time”, “can’t eat that early in the morning” is what I often hear. Fair enough, but what if you could take your breakfast with you and it eat at work/on the train/on the plane/on the bus?

I needed something portable and easy to eat. No one wants leaking yoghurt on their laptop, or anywhere else for that matter…

These little beauties are great because they tick the easy and portable boxes but they are also nutritious and filling; they are no skinny blueberry muffins from you who where.

This is a recipe for one so that you get an idea of the portion per person but I’d recommend making more and freezing them. They will last perhaps a day or two in the cupboard but probably not much longer.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium apple
• 35g porridge oats
• 1 tbsp. of almonds
• 1 tbsp. walnuts
• 1 tbsp. ground flaxseeds
• 1 egg white
• 3 tbsp. milk
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Method:

Coarsely chop the nuts and place them in a large bowl with the oats, flaxseeds, baking powder and cinnamon.

Cut the apple in small chunks (you don’t have to peel it, especially if it’s organic) and add to the bowl.

Beat in the milk, egg and vanilla together and pour into the bowl. Mix thoroughly and divide the mixture into muffin cases. I used silicon ones as it’s makes the unfolding much easier and remember, we’re going for quick and easy here. With mine I get two generous muffins but yours may be smaller in which case you’ll get more muffins however this is still a recipe for one! You don’t have to eat them all if you’re not hungry anymore but don’t under-eat either or it’ll come back to bite you later on.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 25min, or less if your muffins are smaller – you’ll know when they are ready when they are puffed up, golden and not squidgy in the middle anymore.