Post work out Smoothie to jump start recovery & to restore

Post workout smoothie ! 

Smoothies are an excellent go-to food to replenish the body after a tough workout. 

High in protein and healthy fat (use a natural peanut butter, that contains no additives) this hunger curbing recipe makes for a hearty breakfast, lunch, or after-workout boost.

If you are dairy free just swap out the milk and yoghurt for a non dairy alternative. Try other nut butters such as cashew butter (my favorite). You can add ice, to make a cooler, thicker smoothie. 

Nourish Perks

Banana - adds additional fiber, as well as potassium, manganese, and vitamin B6

Yogurt - adds probiotics, which promotes healthy digestion because of the flora that it encourages in the digestive track and provides calcium and extra protein.

Cinnamon - helps control blood sugar and stimulates brain activity

Honey -  high in antioxidants and immune boosting compounds

Peanut butter - Vitamin E, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese. There’s also a decent amount of Vitamin B5, Iron, Potassium, Zinc and Selenium in peanut butter.

Hummus

This is the best homemade hummus ever ! Making my own hummus has been a bit hit and miss until our awesome foodie friends came to the rescue, not only did they bring and cook a super yummy dinner, they showed me how to make their hummus ! Yum !!  we will now be feasting on hummus.  Once you have a basic recipe it is so easy to mix it up a bit by adding roast pumpkin, kumera or eggplant etc (just cook a bit extra when cooking dinner). 

Ingredients 

300g chickpeas (cooked)

2 cloves garlic

Lemon juice from 1-2 lemons 1/2 cup approx 

2 tablespoon tahini 

1 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste (three grinds) 

80 ml olive oil 

1 teaspoon cumin ground 

1/4 cup water approx. to get the right texture

Method 

Blitz the garlic first, then add all the remaining ingredients except water, blend till smooth, add water if required (I added 40 water)

Check taste and add more lemon juice, salt or cumin if required (I didn't add anything extra) 

Enjoy !! 

Nourish Snapshot

Hummus as a whole contains plenty of Omega 3 fatty acids, which are great for improving intelligence and maintaining a healthy heart. It also has iron, vitamin B6, manganese, copper, folic acid, and amino acids. Tryptophan, phenylalanine, and tyrosine are the amino acids found in hummus that can promote good quality sleep and uplift one’s mood.

Hummus is packed with nutrients that can contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Include this in your diet by using it as a:

• spread on sandwiches and wraps
• dressing to your salad or pasta
• dip for raw vegetables
• side dish for main courses

Beetroot and Carrot Salad

This is one of my favourite salad recipes and is always a hit with family and friends. It is such a simple, tasty and nutritious side dish that goes well with almost any meal. I really recommend you give it a go and experience the benefits of these incredible ingredients for yourself! I have no doubt it will soon become one of your favourite salad recipes too.

I have also included some of the numerous amazing health benefits of carrot and beetroot below, to boost your enthusiasm to try this recipe and others like it.

INGREDIENTS
1 large peeled whole beetroot
1/2 C shredded coconut
2 peeled carrots
1/2 C organic raisins
1 T Raw honey

INSTRUCTIONS
Warm honey in saucepan on low heat to melt. Grate beetroot and carrot or place in Thermomix and pulse to desired consistency.
Mix honey, beetroot and carrot with shredded coconut, raisins
Serves 4

Nourish Snapshot - Beetroot

Beetroot is related to Chard, Spinach, Sugar Beets and Quinoa. Originally only the leaves were used for culinary purposes, while the roots were kept for medicinal use.

The numerous health benefits of Beetroot include:

·        They are one of the best bodily cleansers – they dissolve and eliminate acid crystals from the kidneys

·        Build strong blood

·        Detoxify the liver and gallbladder

·        Contain iron which cleanses blood cells and helps to wash away fatty deposits

·        They stimulate lymph fluid – for detoxification

·        They lubricate the intestines and are recommended for constipation

Nourish Snapshot - Carrot

The abundance of health benefits of carrot, include: Detoxifying, alkalinising, cleansing, nourishing and stimulating to almost every body system

·        They are great for the liver and digestive tract

·        Helping kidney function

·        Help to balance the endocrine and adrenal systems

·        Increasing bulk elimination from the colon

·        Rich in Beta Carotene, a strong antioxidant and the precursor to Vitamin A

·        Beneficial for the eyes

·        Improves the immune system, by helping it to produce ‘killer cells’

·        They contain an oil that helps to kill parasites and unhealthy bacteria

There are many more benefits to eating carrots, but the above list is enough in my book and they are readily available, cheap and make a great on the run snack. I will often prepare a container full of sliced carrot (kept in the fridge wrapped in a damp clean tea towel) ready to grab as a snack.

Give this salad recipe a try and please let me know how you get on – or if you have any other recipe suggestions for these two wonderful ingredients!