We all are enjoying our workouts and are very eager to move to the new location with its advanced opportunities, so exciting!

Striving for the best we can do, our nutrition comes also into focus. We try to eat healthily and we all know that ice-cream, cakes, pastries, cookies, potato chips, etc. don’t belong in this picture of health. Merely as an excuse, we tend to say that everything in moderation is okay, but this turns out to be a very tricky thought: what is moderation? For one person moderation might mean 1 serving a day, for another 1 serving a month. Additionally, sugary and fatty foods work as an addiction to our brains, so if we keep eating these foods it is hard to apply moderation.

However we don’t have to panic here, we can still enjoy delicious and at the same time healthy foods. In my last post I showed you the pumpkin cake, remember? Now I would like to share with you this very simple, healthy and yummy dessert without lots of sugar, cream or butter:

Chocolate sweet potato pudding

by Laurie Sadowski  lauriesadowski.com

Serves approx. 4

Ingredients:

• 2 + 3/4 cup cooked sweet potatoes, cold and mashed
• 5 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt (or omit if you like)
• 3-4 TBS unsweetened nondairy milk (eg. soy, oat, rice milk)

Preparation:

Put everything but the milk in a foodprocessor (or blender, or use a bar mixer), process until smooth then add milk until desired consistency has been reached. Can be served right away or refrigerate overnight.

NOTES:

1. Baking the sweet potatoes in the oven (45 mins at 230°C) will give more flavour. Scrub the potatoes first, put in aluminium foil and poke with a sharp knife several times. Cool and remove skin.
2. Dessert can also be served warm
3. Can also be used as a chocolate spread on a sandwich.

Heleen Roex-Haitjema, MD
Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition, Cornell University, New York.
Certified Food for Life Instructor, PCRM, Washington DC / classes with valuable health information and cooking demos

January 2015 – Any New Year’s Resolutions? Perhaps healthier eating?

Who would have thought a CAKE could be part of that?

Cakes are almost always high in sugar, fat and calories, making it an unhealthy treat.

However, it is possible to bake WITHOUT butter, oil, eggs and sugar and instead use ‘whole foods’ as much as possible. Yes, also skip the oil as it is 100% fat, barely contains any nutrients (better to eat the ‘whole’ olive!) and even has approximately 14% saturated fats. Also try to avoid white flour, because it is so processed that it produces the same effect in the body as sugar. I try to use wholemeal flours from wheat, spelt, brown rice, chickpeas, barley, buckwheat etc. To bind the batter, you can use bananas, unsweetened apple sauce, ground flaxseed or chia seeds. If using ground flaxseed or chia seeds, mix one tablespoon with 3 tablespoons of water which is the equivalent of 1 egg.

Today I present the recipe for a delicious: Pumpkin Cake with Pecan Nuts and 80% Dark Chocolate Chips

Serves approx. 16

Ingredients:

• 1 medium to large banana, mashed
• 500 to 700 g pumpkin puree* (more makes it more moist)
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup 100% pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups of whole oat flour (or other whole grains i.e. 1 cup whole spelt & 1 cup brown rice flour)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 to 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 cup roughly chopped pecan nuts
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped 80% dark chocolate

*NOTE: I cook the pumpkin puree from butternut pumpkin. I have not found canned pure pumpkin
puree in Australia, without added substances such as salt, oil, sugar, etc.

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. In a small bowl combine mashed banana, pumpkin puree, maple syrup and vanille extract
2. In a large bowl combine oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Transfer small bowl with wet ingredients to large bowl and mix together gently until wellcombined.
3. Avoid over-mixing to prevent toughness in final product. Fold in pecans and chocolate.
4. Transfer mixture into cake pan lined with baking paper.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes until top is slightly browned and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Let cool on rack voor 10 minutes and gently remove from pan (which is easy -> lifting it out with the baking paper). Put on a rack to further cool. Then carefully remove baking paper for final cooling.

[Recipe derived from Julieanna Hever’s Blueberry Oat Breakfast Muffins in Forks Over Knives:The PlantBased Way to Health, edited by Gene Stone and by Heleen Roex-Haitjema]

If you are interested to learn more about ‘whole food plant-based nutrition’, its benefits and how to implement this, please contact me via e-mail: heleen@wholeplantshealth.com.au

Heleen Roex-Haitjema, MD
Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition, Cornell University, New York.
Certified Food for Life Instructor, PCRM, Washington DC / classes with valuable health information and cooking demos

It is that time of the year again, Christmas is around the corner and with it brings preparations for a big feast. What shall we serve this time for our Christmas dinner or lunch? Of course there are the traditional recipes, but why not give something new and different a try, especially when it is a delicious and healthy choice as well!

In a previous post I explained the health benefits of a whole food plant-based diet in helping to prevent and cure our most common chronic diseases. This knowledge is based on solid research conducted on people and is not based on theories only. In short, the more plant-based we eat and the less animal products we consume, the better our health will be. An added bonus is being able to control weight in a much easier, healthy and sustainable way, without calorie-restriction and portion-control.

So why not try this recipe from The Engine 2 Diet, by Rip Esselstyn:

Sweet Potato & Vegetable Lasagna

Serves 10-12

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 8 ounces (230 gram) mushrooms, sliced
• 1 head broccoli, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 red capsicums, seeded and chopped
• 1 (15 ounce = 425 gram) can corn, rinsed and drained
• 1 (12 ounce = 340 gram) package firm tofu
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (be careful, can get spicy)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 2 (25 ounce = 710 gram) jars vegan pasta sauce (I used more)
• 2 (14 ounce = 400 gram) boxes whole grain lasagna noodles (I used
• spelt lasagna)
• 16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained (I used more)
• 2 large sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
• 6 roma tomatoes, sliced thin
• 1 cup raw cashews, ground (I used less)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 200° C.
2. Sauté the onion and garlic on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan in a little water [no oil!]. Add the mushrooms and cook until the onions are limp and the mushrooms give up their liquid. Transfer to a large bowl with a slotted spoon to reserve the mushroom liquid in the pan.
3. Sauté the broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes in same pan. Transfer to the bowl with mushrooms.
4. In the same pan, sauté the capsicums and corn until just beginning to soften. Add them to the vegetable bowl.
5. Drain the tofu by wrapping in paper towels. Crumble it directly in the towel and mix into the vegetable bowl. Add spices to the vegetable bowl and combine.
6. To Assemble: Cover the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch (= 23×33 cm) casserole with a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce. This way the noodles cook in the oven, saving time and energy. Spread the vegetable mixture over the sauced noodles. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dressing of sauce. Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover the spinach with the mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping of sauce. Cover the lasagna with thinly sliced roma tomatoes.
7. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
8. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the cashews, and return to the oven for 15 minutes.
9. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Sweet potatoes are packed with cancer-fighting beta-carotene and contain more than 100 percent of your recommended intake of vitamin A, which is important for bone growth and vision! It is a good source of potassium and dietary fiber. Garlic and onions are from the Allium family with very high cancer fighting properties; the same applies to broccoli, a member of the Cruciferous family. This dish provides many proteins, vitamins and health promoting phytonutrients without the overload of calories, fats and artery damaging ingredients.

A special thanks to Heleen Roex-Haitjema, MD, for this recipe. Heleen is a Food for Life Instructor, through PCRM in Washington DC, based in Adelaide. For more information or personal guidance in the transition to a plant-based lifestyle you can contact Heleem via e-mail: heleen@wholeplantshealth.com.au

Did you know?

One kiwi fruit is equivalent to 2-3 oranges in vitamin C and higher in Vitamin C, per ounce than any other fruit.

Kiwi Fruit is a nutrition dense food, meaning they are high in nutrients and low in calories. The possible health benefits of consuming kiwi fruit include maintaining healthy skin tone and texture, reducing blood pressure and preventing heart disease and stroke and also assists with colds and flu and boosting your immune system.

Kiwi fruit packs a punch, high in vitamin C, K & E, Zinc, Magnesium, Potassium, Folic Acid and Fibre.

How can you add Kiwi Fruit to your diet??
Smoothies – Kiwi, spinach, apple and pear.
Kiwi, berries, pineapple and yoghurt.
Kiwi, oranges, pineapple, mango and strawberries.You can even add Kiwi fruit to your salad for added flavour with spinach, pinenuts, cranberries or raisins, diced apple, fetta cheese and light vinaigrette dressing.

Book in for an Introductory trial today to discuss your health and fitness goals and the best program or class for you.

We would love to assist you in kickstarting your program and achieving good health and fitness from the “InsideOut”!

Phone us today on 0406 731 447