Toasty layers, television box sets and waking up in the dark – winter doesn’t half make us want to hibernate!
During the colder months of the year, it’s all too tempting to load up your basket with chocolate bars and comfort food. But stop right there, put that multipack of sweets back on the shelf and take a moment to listen to your body. During winter your body craves healthy, energy boosting nourishment more than ever. How else are you going to ward off pesky coughs and colds?
In my last blog post, I talked about the different vitamins and minerals that you need to keep your immune system strong, and so here is how you can incorporate them into your diet with two delicious and easy recipes! They really will help to keep your health in check this autumn/winter.
Wake up to a Chia & Berry Pudding packed with Goodness
This amazing breakfast is loaded with fruit, seeds and yoghurt which will get your blood pumping on even the most testing winter’s morning. The secret weapons here are chia seeds and goji berries.
Ingredients (serves 1)
- 4 tablespoons (1/3 cup) toasted oats – simply toast the oats in a non-stick frying pan with a little cooking spray for 1-2 minutes until golden or use granola or no added sugar muesli
- 5 tablespoons Greek/natural yoghurt
- 1.5 tablespoon chia seeds
- Half a banana, sliced
- 100g (1 cup) blackberries (rich in anti-oxidents!)
- 1-2 tablespoons goji berries
- A drizzle of honey (optional)
Method
Fill the bottom of a glass with 4 tablespoons of the Greek yoghurt mixed with a tablespoon of the chia seeds. Next arrange your chopped banana around the edge of the glass in a circle. Fill the next layer with oats until the oats are resting just above the top of the banana & drizzle with honey (optional). Fill to the top of the glass with blackberries and add the remaining tablespoon of yoghurt to the top (mixed with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of chia seeds). Garnish with goji berries and enjoy!
Each serving provides 450 calories and 20g of protein.
Goji Berry and Chia Seeds Health Benefits: Both unsung heroes, chia seeds are high in protein and omega-3 ensuring energy and brain power while goji berries are rich in illness preventing nutrients such as vitamin A. Together they’re a force to be reckoned with ;).
Fight the Flu with Homemade Curry Powder
When you’re full up with cold, there’s nothing quite like a hot and spicy curry to help alleviate symptoms! But don’t settle for a jar; the ready-made ones are often packed with preservatives and salt, and creating your own is so quick and easy it really does makes sense to go homemade. Spices such as turmeric have been used in Indian ailments for hundreds of years.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander
- 1 dessertspoon turmeric powder
- Half a tablespoon cayenne pepper
- Half a tablespoon mustard seeds
- Half a tablespoon of ground ginger
Method
Add all of the ingredients into a glass jar and shake, or in a bowl simply mix them all together!
This recipe for will make enough curry powder for one curry to serve 4 people, but if you’d like it to stretch a little further just double the quantities as needed (store it in a small air-tight jar for convenience). To make a curry simply add this spice to your meat, vegetables, a tin of chopped tomatoes and either cream or yoghurt (add this just before serving). So simple but really nutritious.
For more healthy recipes and the ingredients to make them, check out Just Ingredients. They have a wide range of herbs, spices and seeds including turmeric powder, cayenne pepper and chia seeds.. yum!
*This blog post was written in collaboration with Just Ingredients.