Banana Bread Muffins: Starring Cinnamon, Greek Yoghurt and Walnuts

A new take on banana bread. The recipe traditionally used feels too sugar-heavy for my liking so I have tweaked it a little to make it yummier but also better for you (no sugar, no butter....huzzah!). 

The greek yoghurt gives a great spongy texture, and is that award-winning combo: high protein/low fat. The banana is high in vitamins C and B6, and a good source of fibre and potassium. Plus, like everything, they look so cute in their individual cupcake cases! All good news really.

A perfect little snack to grab in the morning if running short on time for breakfast. Or for morning tea. Or an after-lunch nibble. Or all of the above.

This recipe made about 30 mini-muffins. Nom nom nom.

What you'll Need:

Makes approximately 30 mini muffins or one regular-sized cake

Dry Ingredients

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 cup rye flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 45g walnuts

Wet Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 3 tablespoons honey/agave nectar/golden syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 4 very ripe (aka skins turning black) bananas
• 1 cup non-fat Greek yoghurt

The How-To:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Use a food processor to whizz up walnuts until they are in teeny chunks, or alternately seal into a sandwich bag and bash with a rolling pin to make larger, rustic chunks
3. Rinse and dry the food processor, then use it to mix up bananas and Greek yoghurt until a smooth paste is formed
4. Add banana/yoghurt combo into a big mixing bowl and add in all the wet ingredients
5. Stir until combined and add salt, baking powder and walnuts
6. Sift in flours
7. Stir until all combined, but no more (over-stirring makes chewy, tough cake. Not ideal).
8. Pour into cooking containers. I like to use cupcake moulds so they are individually portioned (and so cute!) but will work just as well as a cake, loaf, etc..
9. Sift cinnamon and cocoa powder on top, then use a small implement (teaspoon, chopstick, scraper etc) to 'swirl' through the mix to create a marbled effect
10. Cooking time will vary depending on what shape tray you are using. When lightly browned on top they are ready. Cupcakes ~15 min, a cake roughly 40 mins
11. Cool completely on wire rack. Tastes amazing cold!

Green Smoothie success: aka 'Who Killed Shrek?'

Finally getting the hang of this green smoothie buisness. So much so that I ventured to make one for an out of town friend staying with me this weekend. Judging by the empty glass it went down a treat (or else she's just very polite!!).

This smoothie really hit the spot for breakfast, giving our livers a much needed massage after Friday night frivolities. 

To create this green masterpiece:

2 cups spinach

2 kiwifruit

1 pear

1 frozen banana (keep half aside)

1 stick celery

1 cup water

Blend all ingredients together, serve in a wine glass (hello fancy) and top with the other half of the frozen banana, sliced. Nom nom nom!

Vegetate Your Barbeque

Believe it or not, summer is creeping up upon us. Why not give your BBQ some veggie-loving and whack on chunks of red or green pepper, hefty slices of courgette or corn on the cob? Simply chop, grill for 5 minutes until warmed through but still gives a satisfying crunch, and tuck in!

Perfect for a lazy summers eve, BBQ veg is a tasty, healthy and easy variant on the classic side salad. Also works a treat as a pool side snack dipped in home-made tzatziki!

Tzatziki: Easier to Make than Spell

The perfect refreshing dip for a picnic or backyard barbeque on a summers day, tzatziki a breeze to make and goes with just about anything!

(To make one bowlful, as pictured)

You'll Need:

1/2 cucumber

1 cup low-fat Greek yoghurt (see my post about Greek yoghurt for more info)

2 cloves garlic

Sprinkling of mint - fresh if possible (I had none handy so use dried and seemed to work ok!)

A wedge of lemon

The How-To:

1. Grate the cucumber (the whole thing, skin and all)

2. Put the grated cucumber into a sieve and sprinkle little salt over. Set aside.

3. Finely chop the garlic (I recommend using the flat side of the knife to really really squash the garlic, unless you don't mind chunks!), and mix with the yoghurt and mint (finely chopped if using fresh).

4. Squeeze as much water out of the cucumber as possible through the sieve, then mix into the yoghurt

6. Finally, squeeze the fresh lemon over and stir through, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper if desired. 

Perfect with cut up carrots, apple, cucumber slices, peppers, celery, pita bread or even as a sauce over lamb, this dip is a low-fat, high-protein treat that will keep you going through all those games of backyard cricket. 

Dip in. 

Hot Water with Lemon and Ginger

Say goodbye to caffeine-laden morning beverages, and make room for hot water with lemon and ginger: a drink that will knock your socks off and get you going from AM to PM.

Why so good?

A glass of this buzzing brew first thing in the morning gives your liver a big old massage, gets your lymphatic system chugging away and starts your day off with you hydrated rather than dehydrated. 

It also helps to keep colds and flu at bay, stop wrinkles in their tracks, give you skin an impossible-to-manufacture healthy glow and promotes metabolism and weight loss. 

The best part? It's so easy.

Simply boil the kettle, add in a 2cm knob of ginger either thinly sliced or grated, and a big wedge of lemon. 

Your skin, immune system, liver, heart, wallet and best of all taste buds will thank you for it. 

40 Day Lent Green Smoothie Challenge: Day 5

5 days into my 40-day green smoothie challenge I have learnt two things: 

1: These things are strangely addictive

2: It's not a green smoothie if you have to chew it. Proper blender needed. 

Today's recipe (made 3 servings - popped one in the freezer for emergency green smoothie action):

1 banana

1 kiwi fruit

1 Granny Smith apple

1/2 cucumber

1/2 'chunk' of ginger

2 big handfuls kale

1 teaspoon ground flaxseed

2 teaspoons low fat Greek yoghurt

A 2-second squeeze of honey

40 Day Lent Green Smoothie Challenge: Day 1

This year I'm doing an "anti-lent". Rather than take something away (giving up chocolate? crazy,) I thought I'd add something in - green smoothies. Packed FULL of healthy healthy stuff, and with far less sugar than a traditional fruit smoothie, it's an easy way to get a huge chunk of your daily goodies in a portable way that also tastes great (I swear).

The Gist:

There are no rules. Chuck anything lean and green and whiz up - favourites include kale, spinach, celery, Granny Smith apples, ginger, kiwi fruit...the list goes on. Add in some Greek yoghurt and honey to sweeten things to start with and ease your way in. The world is your (green) oyster.

Food of the Month: Greek Yoghurt

Low fat Greek yoghurt. 

I cannot get enough of this stuff. By itself nothing to particularly write home about, but combined with a dash of honey (or agave nectar for those following low-GI diets) and a little handful of fresh or frozen berries, and you've got yourself a little dollop of heaven. 

Here's the skinny-

Per 100g:

68kcal

3.5g fat (2.3g saturated)

5.1g carbohydrate (3.4g sugar)

4g Protein

That looks pretty good to me! If you can buy the 0% fat version ('total' is a good brand) then so much the better, but it can be a bit on the pricey side. I buy this stuff in my local shop by the kilo for less than £2.

A high protein, low-sugar, low-fat dessert? Amazing. 

What else can you use it for? See my recipe for banana and cinnamon muffins (it makes them oh so moist), atop of banana pancakes (been having a lot of bananas this month...), with cereal, in fruit or green smoothies, or simply as is with a whizzle of honey as mentioned above. 

Move over ice cream - we're going Greek.