Ingredients

• 1 cup wholemeal spelt or rye flour
• 1/2 cup white spelt flour
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarb soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup rice bran or macadamia oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup organic plain yoghurt
• 3 small, or 2 large eggs
• 2 large ripe bananas, mashed with a fork

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius, and grease or line a 12 hole muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, place all dry ingredients – flour, oats, baking powder, bicarb, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
3. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, honey, yoghurt and oil, then stir through the banana.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined.
5. Spoon into a greased muffin pan, top with rolled oats if desired.
6. Place in oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
7. Take out of the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire cooling rack.

Enjoy!

High Protein Muffins These muffins are a great snack, being high in protein and free of sugar and wheat. Wholegrain spelt flour is much higher in protein than wheat which helps to increase the protein content of these muffins. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups wholegrain spelt flour
• 1/4 cup plain protein powder (pea or rice protein works well)
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarb soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup rice bran or macadamia oil
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup organic plain yoghurt
• 3 small, or 2 large eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius, and grease or line a 12 hole muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, place all dry ingredients – flour, protein powder, oats, baking powder, bicarb, cinnamon and salt.
3. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, honey, yoghurt and oil.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined.
5. Spoon into greased muffin pan, top with rolled oats if desired.
6. Place in oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
7. Take out of oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Labna is a cheese which is easily made from yoghurt. It has the benefits of containing good bacteria that is beneficial for your gut, and is easier to digest than most other cheeses.

You will need:

• Muslin cloth for hanging
• Pot or bowl to catch liquid
• Probiotic yogurt (preferably organic) – Jalna biodynamic is a good choice

Optional:

You can mix in pepper, herbs, chilli, garlic, or anything else you might like into the yogurt to make a flavoured labna.

Instructions:

1. Place the amount of yoghurt that you wish to make into cheese onto the muslin, then bunch the ends and hang to something with a bowl beneath it to catch the water (a pot with a lid can work well for this).
2. Leave overnight, or until cheese has become firm and most liquid has been drained
3. If you live in a warmer climate, you may need to hang it in the fridge
4. Store in a sterile airtight container in the fridge

Serving suggestions

• Rolled into small balls and tossed through a salad with baby spinach, roast pumpkin, capsicum and olive oil
• On ryevita or a cracker of your choice with smoked salmon and cracked pepper
• As a dip mixed with avocado, paprika, garlic and lemon juice served with carrot and celery sticks

This smoothie makes a great breakfast or snack, and takes minutes to prepare. It works best if you peel and freeze the banana, to give it a thicker consistency.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Nuts (cashews, walnuts, almonds, etc.) 1 tbsp Lecithin granules (optional, not a raw ingredient)
• 1 rounded tbsp ground raw Cacao Nibs (grind in coffee grinder)
• 1 tbsp ground raw Cacao Powder 1/4 to 1/2 cup
• Water as needed
• 2 large peeled & frozen Bananas, sliced
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup additional Cold Water or as needed for consistency.

Directions

1. Grind nuts to a powder in blender
2. Add lecithin (if using)
3. Add cacao nibs and powder.
4. Add enough water to cover blades of blender and blend until smooth.
5. Add frozen banana slices and just enough water to blend.
6. Blend until smooth and creamy.
7. Scrape into a tall glass and drink immediately.

Enjoy!

Green smoothies are great for detoxification and reducing inflammation in the body. Don’t give up if it doesn’t work well the first time, you may need to play with the ingredients to get it right for your taste.

In a blender, place:

• 2 handfuls of any green leafies – baby spinach, mesculin lettuce, romaine lettuce, rocket, silverbeet, watercress…
• 1 – 3 pieces of fruit – banana, pawpaw, kiwifruit, peaches, apricots, pineapple, berries etc.
• A little water to make desired consistency.

Simply blend until super smooth and drink!

To get more out of your green smoothie, consider adding any of the following:

• Spirulina – full of mineral and vitamins
• LSA – for omega 3, fibre, minerals and protein
• Flaxseed oil – for Omega 3
• Lecithin – good for brain health and absorption of your good fats

Try these recipes to help fight the flu this winter!

Honey, lemon and ginger drink

Yes, an oldie but a goodie. For best results, stir the honey through once the drink is slightly cooled.

• 1/2 lemon
• 5 slices of fresh ginger
• 1 tsp of honey

Cut lemon into pieces, put in a mug and crush slightly to release the juice. Add sliced ginger and pour boiled water over the top. Add honey last when cool.

Sore throat tea and gargle

• Steep 1 tsp fresh or dried sage in one cup of hot water.
• Once slightly cooled add honey and 1/2 tsp slippery elm.
• Sip on the tea, gargling occasionally.

Immune boosting smoothie

High in vitamin C and bioflavonoids, this smoothie is both nutritious and delicious!
In a blender put:

• a handful of blueberries
• a handful of raspberries
• 1/4 red paw paw – chopped
• 1 kiwifruit – skin on
• the juice of 1/2 lime or lemon
• a little extra water
• a handful of ice
• 1 tsp or 1 broken capsule of probiotics (optional)

Blend until smooth

• Add water until desired consistency.
• Drink immediately.

For more information about colds and influenza, click here.

LSA, or Linseeds (also known as flaxseeds), Sunflower Seeds and Almonds, provides good fats including omega 3 fatty acids, the nutrients iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin E, folate andare high in protein.

It is important to make your LSA fresh, as the oils contained within the nuts and seeds oxidise easily once they have been crushed. This is particularly the case for linseeds, which should only be consumed freshly crushed or as a cold pressed oil which is kept in the fridge.

Avoid buying pre-ground LSA, as this contains a high amount of oxidised oils which are rancid and therefore detrimental to your health. You can make LSA using the following recipe:

Use equal parts of:

• Linseeds
• Sunflower Seeds
• Almonds

In a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder, grind equal amounts of the above. If you do not have time to grind your LSA as you need it, you can make it in bigger batches and keep in in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

A useful variation to LSA is LSAP, which you also add equal amounts of pepitas (pumpkin seeds). This has the added benefit of zinc, which is great for hair, skin and nail health, immune function and reproductive health.

Pre-made salad dressings are often high in sugar and other additives, which is why it is best to make you own. The following dressings are healthy and delicious options and are all easy to make! Remember to use only cold pressed extra virgin olive oil.

Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Mix together 50/50 or drizzle a little of each over your salads or vegetables.

Olive Oil and Lemon Juice

Same as above but with lemon juice instead of balsamic (great with fish).

Tahini Dressing

Equal amounts of Tahini (preferably unhulled), olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mix together before putting on salad. You may need to add a little water to thin it out.

Tahini is a ground sesame paste. It is a good source of calcium, magnesium, protein and good fats.

Yoghurt tahini dressing

A good alternative to mayonnaise. Use natural probiotic yoghurt, add a little olive oil and some tahini. Mix together and add to salad. A little lemon juice is nice in this dressing too, or try adding a little nutmeg.

Garlic yoghurt dressing

Grate some fresh garlic finely, add to yoghurt. sprinkle a little paprika, lemon juice and sea salt in and mix well.

Herby dressing

Finely chop any fresh herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, chives, spring onion, parsley, mint) and mix with any of the dressings above.

This is a healthy dessert, or sweet snack. Rice milk is available from the supermarket, either fresh or long life section.

This can be served with some organic cream or yoghurt if desired. Sprinkle fresh berries over the top for those beneficial antioxidants!

Ingredients:

• 4 apples
• 4 tbsp tahini
• 1/4 cup almonds, chopped
• 1/2 cup rice milk
• 1/4 cup dates, chopped
• pinch sea salt
• 1 cup water
• 4 tbsp maple syrup or honey

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C.
• Peel apples and remove center core with an apple corer.
• Mix tahini, dates and almonds together in a small bowl.
• Place each apple onto a piece of aluminium foil and gently fill each apple with tahini mixture.
• Place 2 tbsps of rice milk and 1 tsp maple syrup around the base of each apple.
• Place water into a baking dish.
• Fold aluminium foil around apple and place into the baking dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
• Carefully remove aluminium foil and place apple and any juice into individual bowls and serve.

Serves 4.