Alright, so here’s the good stuff: Guilt free, easy and so YUM. Get your hands on this very berry apple crumble

This crumble is definitely what I’ll be making for christmas. It packs a bundle of added goodness from the berries, oats, nuts and spices, and is ow in fat. It’s also dairy-free and suitable for vegans. Win-Win!

• coconut oil to grease the baking dish
• 6 large, sweet apples (such as Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, Pink Lady or Jazz),  peeled and chopped 
• 200g frozen mixed berries
• 1 tbsp finely grated orange zest
• 1 tbsp almondflour
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch of grated nutmeg
• 3 tbsp maple syrup or honey 

For the crumble topping

• 75g  oats
• 75g walnuts, chopped
• 50g almonds, chopped
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease your baking dish with some coconut oil.

Peel, core and cut the apples into 1.5cm dices and place in a bowl with the berries, orange zest, almondflour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and maple syrup. Mix well and spoon into the prepared dish. Press down gently with a spatula to create an even layer.

To make the crumble topping, mix together the oats, nuts and cinnamon in a small bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the maple syrup and coconut oil. Stir until fully combined. Crumble the topping over the fruit mixture to cover in an even layer.

Bake for 50–60 minutes, until the topping is lightly golden. Leave to cool for 20–30 minutes before serving. YUM

I’m a big fan of veggie-based rice along with a lean source of protein and even more veggies. Quick, light and so so yum!

 

Switching up rice with veggies allows me to create absolute mouth watering dishes without leaving me super full, sluggish or feeling unwell. Things like broccoli rice or cauliflower rice are widely available in most supermarkets nowadays, but obviously, we prefer making everything from scratch to preserve as many nutrients as possible here.. Duh! And I pinkypromise you this really doesn’t have to take all that long once you’ve got the right utensils at home. 

 

In order to turn your broccoli or cauliflower into rice, I recommend using a blender or kitchen machine which will do the job for you in no more than 10 seconds. If you don’t have either at home, no stress at all. A big chopping knife and a cutting board will do the trick as well!

 

Who’s joining me for some Broccoli Rice with Chicken & Asparagus tonite?

 

Here’s what you’ll need:

*400g broccoli rice

*100g carrots, sliced or spiralized

*200g chicken breast or a vegetarian replacement of your choice

*300g white asparagus, peeled and cut in pieces

*1 lime

*1 tbsp olive oil

*1 handful fresh dill, chopped

*1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

*Pepper & Salt

 

Dressing

*1 tsp tahin

*2 tbsp water

*2 tbsp olive oil

*juice & zest of 1/2 lime

*1 tbsp soy sauce

*pepper & salt

 

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Meanwhile, heat a large pan with water for the asparagus.

Cut the chicken breast in cubes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and fry it in the frying pan until golden brown. Remove from the pan and add the broccoli rice and the carrot. Cook until the broccoli turns even greener and the carrots soften a bit. Do not bake for too long, as the rice will turn too soft.

Cook the asparagus pieces in the boiling water for approx. 7 minutes and leave them to cool down for another 5 minutes.

Now take two bowls and divide the broccoli rice into them. Add the fried chicken pieces, the boiled asparagus and the fresh herbs.

Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients together. Pour some of the dressing over the broccoli rice and serve the rest separately.

Serve the broccoli rice with an extra wedge of lime.

How about a low carb take on a standard pasta dish? I’m talking healthy food swaps here, using fibre rich veggies instead of empty carbohydrates!

I love switching up pasta with spiralized courgette. It still allows me to create absolute mouth watering pasta dishes without leaving me super full, sluggish or feeling unwell. Ready made courgetti are widely available in most supermarkets nowadays, but obviously, we prefer making everything from scratch to preserve as many nutrients as possible here.. Duh! And I pinkypromise you this really doesn’t have to take all that long once you’ve got the right utensils at home. 

In order to make courgette spaghetti, a simple spiralizer (Amazon) for as little as 10 bucks will do the trick. 

FYI: I also love to spiralize courgette, cucumber and carrots in my salad bowls. Looks pretty and changes up the texture!

Now let’s get cooking: I love this dish! It’s super easy to make, nice and light – which is perfect for dinner -but still feels like a special treat.

This healthy, low carb and protein loaded take on a pasta dish is your perfect weekday dinner.

Here’s what you need:

*1 courgette, spiralized

*125g king prawns (defrosted and peeled)

*8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved

*1 small can of tomato puree

*½ chilli pepper, deseeded and chopped

*1 clove of garlic

*1 handful basil leaves or parsley, finely chopped

*1 handful of rocket

*lemon zest

*2 tbsp olive oil

 

Get cooking: 

Put the tomatoes, garlic, chilli, tomato purée and a pinch of salt & pepper into a blender or use a handheld blender and blend to a sauce consistency.

Add the spicy tomato sauce into a saucepan and let it simmer for some minutes to get a bit thicker. Add the prawns and let it simmer for another 4-5 minutes. Add the rocket and stir.

Toss the courgetti through the sauce until it begins to soften.

Sprinkle everything with the herbs, some extra salt and pepper and olive oil. Enjoy ♥️

 

Summer’s here! Time for some summer sun together with friends and family again. This is my absolute favorite time of the year! The blossoming nature, sunny days and lifted Covid regulations just put a big big smile on my face.

These warmer days call for lighter foods, perfect for fresh salads and summery fruit, so in this post I wanted to share some tips for the perfect salad bowl with you that will taste delicious and nourish you inside and out.

While the temperatures rise and the sun sets late, this weather calls for evenings outside with friends and family. Picnics and BBQs are on the weekly menu and call for food that is easy to transport and prepare.
When eating together with others, we often tend to make less healthy choices, especially when there’s some good wine or aperol spritz involved;)..
Many of us experience this period as a bit tricky therefore and often get up the next day with feelings of shame and guilt around the food choices that they have made.

First off, I want you to realize that great health and the right weight that comes along with it is so much more than simply healthy foods!
We know now that our mental well-being is very much connected to our physical state.
So try and be a little more loving with yourself on these summery nights. Go ahead and enjoy the bbq, bread, burger with mayonnaise or pasta salad.
Try and see nights like these as a treat that you deserve every now and then. Allowing yourself to indulge every now and then will make it easier to get back to your healthy routine afterwards.

Ok, now with that said let’s have a look at a couple of simple and effective tips to make those BBQs and picnic a little healthier:
Load up on big and nourishing salads – Wait how? No worries, I got you covered, just read on below!
Bring your own salad dressing if the salad is store bought – simple olive oil with fresh lemon can do the trick!
Make your own sauces – a homemade yoghurt tzatziki is a yummy sauce for any chicken skewers or bbq fish!
Put some veggies on your grill: Aubergine, Leek, Courgette, Bell Peppers are damn tasty on the BBQ!
Try and skip the bread, especially if it is the white kind of processed bread!
Alternate between alcohol and water – the golden rule is 1 glass of alcohol, followed by a big glass of water!

 

 

Summery Salads
Salads are probably my favorite dish to make, they’re incredibly versatile and leave me with a fantastic feeling in my body. Now that the warmer months have started, they are just the thing that our bodies crave: minerals, hydration and fresh produce!

In this summer edition I wanted to share a couple of tips with you to help build a solid salad that will be both tasty and nourishing.

Step 1 Greens
When choosing your greens try and opt for deep colours like dark green or even purple and red. This is where the good stuff is at! While an iceberg salad mainly contains water, the dark leafy green variations are loaded with minerals, vitamins, fibers and antioxidants.These little helplings do not only block free radicals, they also activate your body’s own antioxidant defenses; leaving you with a boost in skin- and overall health. WinWin! Think of spinach, kale, lambs lettuce, rucola, dandelion greens, endive, radicchio, mesclun and watercress.

Step 2 Protein
Always, I repeat, always try to include some sort of lean protein in your salad bowl. This is what will help you stay full and energized for hours and hours. More about that in my online course: Eat Well, Feel Good: An Introduction to Nutrition.
Great examples are: lentils, chickpeas, soybeans, eggs, chicken, tuna, tempeh or hemp seeds

Step 3 Fats
Just as proteins, a portion of healthy fats is a vital ingredient of your salad bowl in order to nourish your body, stabilize your blood sugars and provide you with enough energy to feed on.
Opt for avocado, olives, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, sesame seeds, good quality extra virgin olive oil, some organic feta or goats cheese, sardines, mackerel or wild salmon

Step 4 Dressing
This is such an essential for a yummy salad that you want to eat over and over again. Especially for those of you that are not so fond of salads or raw veggies yet – a great dressing will definitely do the trick. Your dressing can however also add unnecessary sugars or other nasties to your otherwise healthy and nutritious salad – my ultimate tip for that is to always try and ensure to make your dressing from scratch. Like that you’ll stay in control over what you consume, easy as that!

Personally, I think great quality olive oil does the trick. Opt for extra virgin to benefit from all those good Omega 3 fatty acids.
Adding some fresh lemon, lime or orange juice will provide a fresh taste and extra nutrients.
Apple Cider Vinegar is both tasty and also very good for your gut.
Coconut Aminos, tamari & miso can be fantastic add ons for Asian salads and are much healthier than traditional soy sauce, oyster sauce and ketjap.
Tamari and yoghurt will create a smoother and creamier texture along with a deliciously nutty flavour.

Step 5 Toppings
Toppings will make your salads so much more interesting! They add flavour, texture and lots of extra nutrients.
Great toppings to use are:
-fresh baby sprouts (like alfalfa, broccoli sprouts, pea shoots or radish sprouts)
-lemon or lime zest (humongous health benefits and adding a zingy fresh flavor to basically anything you eat)
-homemade croutons, the perfect way of recycling your old using some olive oil, herbs, peper & salt
-shaved parmesan cheese
-nuts & seeds, these guys offer great and healthy fats as well as proteins. Read on below for a simple and very taste seed sprinkle recipe

 

Seed sprinkle

Here’s a foolproof and very tasty seed sprinkle recipe for you to pimp your salads, sandwiches and soups. I use this on a daily for an extra boost of fibres, healthy & unsaturated omega 3 fatty acids as well as plant based protein – basically aaaall the good stuff.

Here’s what you need:
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Flax seeds
Sesame seeds
Chilli Powder
Curry Powder / Garam Masala
Ginger Powder
Pepper & Salt
Unflavoured coconut oil

Method:
Heat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. In a big mixing bowl, combine the seeds with the spices, pepper & salt
Layer your oven tray with a baking sheet and sprinkle the coconut oil on top. Add the seeds and mix well with the oil.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes let it cool down fully and store in an airtight container.

 

With all that talk about healthy foods I thought it’d be time to shed some well deserved light on drinks and more specifically tea! 

While there are countless different sorts and flavors of tea I wanted to highlight 3 absolute superstars here: 

• Green Tea
• Matcha Tea
• White Tea

Green Tea

Green tea has many many health benefits and would be something I’d definitely recommend to drink on a daily. It’s a great alternative to coffee, containing both caffeine and L-theanine. As a matter of fact caffeine contents of a cup of green tea can vary from 14 to up to 61mg per cup.

L-theanine seems to reduce the negative aspects of caffeine, such as anxiety, increased blood pressure and decreased quality of sleep, while improving upon the positive aspects like providing you with a good energy boost and focus. 

The high amount of antioxidants and catechins in green tea are good against cardiovascular disease, diabetes and brain diseases. It has been shown to improve blood flow and lower your cholesterol levels. 

Need more convincing?

 Green tea is also fantastic for your skin and your memory, it reduces stress and aids weight loss. The polyphenol antioxidants in green tea reduce inflammation in your body, a known trigger of premature aging. 

The ingredient  EGCG may help you drop a few pounds. The current research done is not strong enough to verify this 100%, but green tea definitely is a smart swap for any sugar drinks you might want to consume instead

How to drink your Green Tea:

A common mistake made when drinking green tea is to boil the water too hot, which causes a bitter taste that many people dislike. Boil your water to 75-80 degrees celsius at a max. This prevents the bitter taste and what’s more is it also ensures that the antioxidants remain intact. 

Matcha Tea

This might be a bit of an you either hate it or love it thing. I for my part absolutely love drinking Matcha tea, not only for its taste but also for its incredible health benefits. 

Matcha actually belongs to the family of green tea. There’s no question that green tea is good for you, but matcha takes health benefits to a whole new level. When you make conventional loose-leaf green tea, you discard the leaves and any nutrients left behind after hot-water infusion.

Matcha tea uses the entire leaf, made by grinding each specially grown and harvested for use in this fine powder. Since none of the rich nutrients are lost, matcha holds the ultimate green tea superpowers for health.

Powdered matcha contains antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals that deliver health benefits no other food, drink, or traditional green tea can.

 

Grades of Matcha: 

Matcha runs from the highest grades to the lowest. Based on a variety of factors, you can pick and choose from culinary grade (fit for cooking, think of smoothies or cakes), premium grade, up to ceremonial grade (great for drinking). 

The highest quality of matcha powder in the world is the Ceremonial grade. It is a luxury tea. The traditional Japanese tea ceremonies are incomplete without this tea. When comparing its flavor with other tea grades, the Ceremonial grade has a mildly sweet flavor. This grade is produced from the first harvest. The tea leaves are the youngest and least exposed to sunlight, which increases their chlorophyll content. Ceremonial grade Matcha powder thus, has the most vibrant shade of green amongst the different grades.

Although a subset of the culinary grade, Premium barista-grade matcha has a higher quality, making it perfect for pairing with other beverages.  

 

The Culinary grade is more bitter and robust. Due to its later harvesting date, the tea leaves are exposed to higher levels of sunlight which increases its catechin levels. Higher catechin levels leads to a more astringent taste. 

The higher grades, premium and even more so ceremonial, have a brilliant green color, rich aroma, and a distinct, but not bitter taste. The lower the grade, the more mud coloured your matcha will be. 

Bottom line, choosing the right Matcha boils down to how you are intending to use it:

Culinary grades of Matcha, including premium barista-grade should be used when mixing with food or beverages. While ceremonial grade Matcha should be consumed as it is.

 

Here’s a little checklist of what to look for when buying matcha:

• If the tea has a vibrant green color then it usually means that it is pure.
• If the powder has a fine texture and density then it usually has a delicate flavor.
• If the tea foams nicely when whisked 
• Rather no extra ingredients added to it.

 

Preparing Matcha Tea is fairly simple, all you need is: 

• ½ tsp of matcha powder
• Hot water at approx. 80 degrees celsius
• A whisk (this can be a specific matcha whisk or any whisk you have at home)

Start by mixing your powder with just a dash of water, creating a paste of your matcha powder. Then pour in your water and whisk the tea for approximately 30 seconds. This should create a small foamy layer on top. 

 

Tip: Mix your matcha tea with some foamed almond milk for a delicious matcha latte – the perfect healthy pick up for your morning or afternoon!

White Tea 

Green tea is high in antioxidants but let me tell you, white tea is an absolute antioxidant powerhouse, containing more than both, black and green tea!

These substances give your immune system a mega boost. Drinking white tea is good for your skin, for your teeth, good for your bones and studies suggest that it might support weight loss.

Drinking white tea: Here the same rules apply as when drinking green tea. Don’t boil your tea too hot. At around 80 degrees celsius is ideal in order to prevent a bitter taste and to make sure you keep all those healthy antioxidants . 

Where to buy your tea?

My friend Romy started an online tea delivery service called DLVRTEA. Everytime we speak I’m in awe of her knowledge of tea and all the new things she teaches me. She sells a beautiful selection of carefully picked, organic teas and she deserves all the success in the world. You can find her webshop here

 

CHUN Amsterdam is located right in the city centre of Amsterdam and sells delicious matcha lattes along with Bubble Tea, a little less healthy, but hey 80/20;). You can also get your ceremonial matcha powder as well as all the equipment you might need here. 

 

Another great store to score high quality tea and matcha is Tea’s delight on Amsterdam Oud West. A traditional and authentic Chinese Tea house. Definitely worth a visit! 

 

Ekoplaza & Holland Barret sells a range of different whole leaf teas as well as ceremonial matcha in their stores as well. 

Interested in more food and drink inspiration? Head to my instagram & make sure to sign up for my newsletter where I’ll provide you with a monthly dose of food inspo.