No cook, no fuss – perfect for when life gets super busy as it always does!
Just grab:
- store bought hot smoked salmon
- avocado
- raw coleslaw mix
- baby spinach
and place on a pumpkin chive GF bread roll. Tasty!
Tag: fit life
Vegan Pumpkin Soup
Warms the soul as well as the belly!
Ingredients (serves 2-3)
- 200g butternut pumpkin
- 4 large carrots
- 125g can coconut cream
- 4 fresh sage leaves
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- Chives to serve
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200*C and roast the pumpkin and carrots until soft and golden. Allow to cool slightly.
- Place the roasted pumpkin and carrot, sage, rosemary, stock and coconut cream in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Alternatively, place the mixture in a large bowl or saucepan and blend with a stick blender until smooth.
- Serve hot with chives on top.
Spiced Protein Porridge
Hooray! The weather is FINALLY cool enough for the first protein porridge of the season!
Ingredients (serves 1-2)
- 3/4 cup rice flakes or oats
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tbsp flaxseed
- 2 tbsp vanilla pea protein
- 1/2 tsp chai spice (or cinnamon / cardamom)
- Banana and almond butter for serving
Method
- Mix the rice flakes, milk, protein, flaxseed and spice together in a bowl.
- Microwave on high for 2.5 minutes.
- Serve topped with banana and almond butter. Easy!
Lemon quince Pterodactyl wings
Sorry for the radio silence! Between studying for fellowship and moving, I’ve barely had time to function this year.
Now, I know this is not my normal kind of recipe, but if these make dinner easy and delicious for anyone else who’s busy like me then I’ll be happy!
These enormous turkey wings were cooked in my brand new oven, and what can I say, I’m impressed!
Ingredients
- Turkey wings (about 800g which was 5)
-
- 2 tablespoons lemon infused olive oil (I used
- )
- 2 tablespoons quince paste
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170*C.
- In a bowl, mix the lemon olive oil and quince paste together. Spread the mixture on top of the turkey wings.
- Wrap the turkey wings all together in a parcel of baking paper (so that the quince doesn’t burn) and bake until cooked through (about an hour). Allow to rest before serving with your favourite greens!
Muesli Banana Bites
Banana bites, doo-doo doo-doo-doo. (It’s a Muppet joke, sorry).
These tasty morsels are deliciously moreish, full of fibre and make for a satisfying snack that’s easy to hide in my scrub pocket!
Ingredients (makes 12)
- 2 large over-ripe bananas
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk or mylk (I used hazelnut coconut milk for something different!)
- 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
- 1 cup raw muesli
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup coconut flour (can substitute with almond or hazelnut meal)
- 2 tbsp melted cocoa butter (can substitute for Nuttalex or butter or coconut oil)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200*C and grease or line a 12 cup capacity muffin tray.
- Mash the banana and mix with the eggs, milk and butter until combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the wet ingredient mix and mix well.
- Pour into the muffin tray and bake until golden (15-20 minutes).
- Serve warm with natural peanut butter or a squirt of maple syrup!
If you like them a little sweeter, try adding 2 tbsp maple syrup into the mix, or experiment by adding some chopped dates or raw dark chocolate – yum!
Pumpkin Spiced Porridge
It’s only cold here for about 3 months of the year, which means there are 12 weeks of prime-pumpkin-porridge-tasting time to be enjoyed!
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 200g butternut pumpkin
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 cup quinoa flakes
- pinch of pumpkin spice (I use 1 tsp cinnamon with 1 tsp cardamom, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp ground ginger and 1/4 tsp ground cloves)
- coconut or Greek yogurt and flaked almonds to serve
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200*C. Skin and chop the pumpkin into small pieces and roast until soft and golden (approx 20-30 minutes).
- Place the pumpkin, spices and almond milk in a blender and process until smooth.
- Use the ‘pumpkin smoothie’ as a base to cook the quinoa flakes, on a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously (particularly the bottom so it doesn’t stick) until the flakes are soft and the mixture is thick and creamy. If you need to add more liquid, add more almond milk as you go.
- Top with yogurt and flaked almonds just before serving.
Tip: The most time-consuming part is roasting the pumpkin. So, roast a large pumpkin early in the week so that there’s plenty on hand to make porridge whenever you fancy!
Granola-Crusted Salmon
I know, it sounds ridiculous, but trust me, it works! The trick is to use a granola that’s nut-based and doesn’t contain added refined sugars.
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 2 salmon fillets, skin off
- 1 small sweet potato
- 100g baby spinach
- 1 bunch asparagus (I prefer raw, but it can also be blanched in boiling water for 1 minute just prior to serving)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200*C. Chop the sweet potato into rough chunks and place on a lined baking tray. Bake until soft (20 minutes).
- On another lined baking tray, place the salmon and bake for 10 minutes. Crust the granola in a small bowl, and while still hot, place the salmon skin side down into the granola and press firmly to stick. Return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, and allow to rest before serving.
- Serve the salmon with potato, spinach and asparagus.
Choc Peanut Tarts
One fantastic way to save on calories without sacrificing taste is to use baked wonton wrappers instead of pastry. They are deliciously light but crunchy, and can be filled with virtually any topping. Previous experiments of mine have included baking them with vanilla sugar before serving with ice cream and fresh fruit, and I have also used them as quiche bases.
These involve the winning combination of peanut butter and chocolate, making these a very moreish, low sugar and low guilt treat! 
Ingredients – per mini tart you’ll need;
- 1 wonton wrapper
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter (choose the kind with no added salt, sugar or oil for best results)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 tablespoon cacao / cocoa / carob powder
- stevia to taste*
* I only needed about 1 teaspoon for a total of 10 tarts as I prefer the chocolate layer to be slightly bitter. You could also use maple syrup or brown sugar instead.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180*C. Place the wonton wrapper in a muffin tin and bake until brown (about 10 minutes, be careful they don’t burn).
- Mix the coconut oil, cacao and sweetener together.
- Allow the wrappers to cool before filling with the peanut butter. Pour the coconut oil mixture on top and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to set. Serve while still cold (otherwise the coconut oil will melt!).
Chia Banana Nicecream
Most of the “Nicecream” recipes circulating at the moment have more than the recommended daily intake of fruit and sugar in just one serving. Eating 7 bananas may be good for the potassium levels, but I have found that having a sugar dense meal for breakfast is a sure fire way to give me a fatigue slump just before lunch.
I think that “Banana Nicecream” is a brilliant idea though, and I’ve made an alternative version before using greek yogurt (see my Nicecream with coconutty granola page!). However, I’ve now discovered you can get an even more brilliantly thick and creamy consistency by using one of my old favourites – chia seed pudding! Simply blend the pudding with a single frozen banana for a deliciously cold, thick, creamy and not overly sugary breakfast treat!
Almond and Cacao Nicecream
Ingredients
– 1/3 cup chia seeds
– 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
– 1 frozen banana
– 2 tablespoons plain protein powder
– 1 tablespoon Mayvers food almond, cacao and coconut spread (or alternatively, 1/2 tablespoon cacao powder and a small handful of raw almonds)
Method
1. Mix the chia, milk and protein powder until well combined. Set overnight in the fridge.
2. Blend the pudding with the rest of the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Top with whatever takes your fancy – I’ve used date, cinnamon and walnuts!
Green Peanutty Nicecream
Ingredients
– 1/3 cup chia seeds
– 1 cup soy milk
– 1 frozen banana
– 1 tablespoon peanut butter
– 2 tablespoons plain protein powder
– 1/4 cup baby spinach leaves
– 1 frozen banana
Method
1. Mix the chia, milk and protein powder until well combined. Set overnight in the fridge.
2. Blend the pudding with the rest of the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Dress with berries of your choice (I’ve chosen goji berries here).
Spinach and Cacao Nicecream
Ingredients
– 1/3 cup chia seeds
– 1 cup coconut milk
– 2 tablespoons plain protein powder
– 1 tablespoon cacao
– 1 frozen banana
– 1/4 cup spinach
Method
1. Mix the chia, milk and protein powder until well combined. Set overnight in the fridge.
2. Blend the pudding with the rest of the ingredients until smooth and creamy. If it’s not sweet enough for your palate, add a pinch of stevia and blend again until combined. Garnish with nuts and seeds – my recommendation is walnuts and pepitas!
Epic Raw Bliss Balls
The recipe for these bliss balls was an experiment for a Mayver’s Food competition on Instagram. They turned out spectacularly well, and I’m stoked that I’ve found a delicious new pre-workout snack!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dates
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 2 teaspoons cacao powder (you could use cocoa or carob instead)
- 2 teaspoons tahini
- 1/4 cup raw unsalted peanuts
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1/3 cup hot water
Method
- Soak the dates in hot water for 5 minutes to soften them, then remove from the bowl.
- Place the dates, oats, cacao, tahini and peanuts in the food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together. You may need to add a teaspoon of the water here and there if the mixture seems too dry. The mixture should not stick to the sides of the bowl, but should be just wet enough to stick together when firmly pressed.
- Remove the mixture from the processor bowl and roll into small balls (approx. 1 tablespoon mixture each) using your palms, before rolling the balls in the coconut.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge, or for an icy treat, stored in an airtight container in the freezer. Enjoy these little moments of bliss!
