Coconut butter, oats and pesto!

Coconut butter, oats and pesto! Not all at once though... I wonder... no that's a bit far fetched even for me :)
First of all as promised I'm gonna show you a quick picture-ish tutorial about how to make coconut butter (using cheap-as-chips bulk bags of dessicated coconut!)
It's so simple I feel a bit silly, but why buy $10+ jars of coconut butter when you can make a full jar by using a $2-$3 bag of coconut!
Now step one:
Place a 500g bag of dessicated coconut into a large food processor:

Process for what seems like forever (is really about 10-15 mins) stopping every few mins to scrape down the sides, until the oils start coming together and forming a paste. Then blend for a few more mins to get a nice and smooth texture (mine was slightly gritty)

 Place in a jar (I just used a recycled peanut butter jar) and store away for future yums!

Simple pimple- put it in, process, your done!
It seems I was in a processor groove these past few days, as last night I decided to get my mini one out to make some kale pesto:

 You can find my traditional spinach one here, this recipe however was about 5 big leaves of basil, and then a big handful of torn up kale, placed in a food processor with a small squeeze of lemon, 1 heaped tablespoon nutritional yeast, 1 heaped tablespoon pine nuts and about 2 teaspoons of olive oil (add more if it doesn't come together) whaz until combined, then whaz some more to get it a nice light green colour and smoothy-smooth!
Did I make pizza? Pasta? No, no.. I made... steamed veggies!

Pumpkin, swede, beetroot, white sweet potato, orange sweet potato, brocoli, brussels sprouts, peas and some sauteed mushrooms, all covered in pesto! Mmmmm

 Finally my last food processor experience of late was some rich chocolate oatmeal, spiked with some raspberry sauce!

The oatmeal was steel cut oats + 1 chopped banana+ a sprinkle of chia seeds + 1 tablespoon raw cacao + 1 tablespoon cacao nibs + a dash of cinnamon + a lot of milk (according to packet instructions.. I used oat milk) placed in a saucepan over high heat. Once boiling, turn down heat and simmer for around 15-20 mins:

I always then leave mine to cool in my mug for 10 or so mins so its not too hot and is slightly thickened :)
The sauce? Frozen berries heated in microwave for 1:30 mins and then whazzed up!

And there you go!

 The berries really do lighten up the super rich oatmeal :) Yum yum!

I hope everyone has a great day and get those processors out and make something awesome! Ice cream? Veggie burgers? fro yo? :D

My 'perfect' morning routine

Phew! What a hectic week!
Of course I highly anticipated this and also of course, I didn't get into my usual prepping ahead and organising that I usually, meticulously, do when school is back on the cards. But we'll go into more on that in some later posts- for now, I'm just happy it's SATURDAY!

Snoopy happy dance totally happening over here!

Without a doubt, the best way to ensure that my day kicks off on an upbeat, positive and energetic foot, is to include my 'perfect' morning routine! I say 'perfect' because it is perfect! For meee! Someone else might find this to be the cruelest form of torture on the planet. Each to their own!

Firstly? Waking up! Specifically, waking up nice and early (unless I'm ssuupppeeeerrr tired, then sleep is higher on the priority list!) and now that it's Winter, that means waking up when the stars are still shining :)

Next? Water :) I drink lots of water because my body tells me it needs it- and then thanks me with feeling good :)
Then I researched why and discovered there was some actual science behind it:

After some water and a touch of blog reading (waking me up fully) I change into my running gear, stretch up the sleepy limbs, do some active stretches:

(really good for running!) and head out (or in- to the treadmill- as was the case this morning) for a quick run.
You may remember from this post that I've decided to take a break from my long (around 2 hours, 20km.. yep still can't believe I did those) runs and focus more on shorter and quicker runs.

The verdict?
Good decision! Apart from not stressing over getting to bed early enough to get enough sleep to wake up at 4:30am to run 20km (which, now that I look back on it, caused way too much stress for my liking) I've actually noticed some changes physically as well as mentally! I have more energy, I feel better, I don't have the runner's bloat that comes with super long distances, I don't get over-exercising head aches, or fatigue and I just feel... better!

So, today I ran it out nice and fast for 30 mins on the treadmill and felt great!
Something I had no idea about- how different shorter faster runs are compared to extremely long distances. I am out of breath about 10 minutes in to a quick run and quite worn out after only 30 mins- but in a really good way. Whereas I could run for 2 hours at a very slow pace and not collapse afterwards- but didn't feel the happy buzz of exercising.

Don't believe I get worn out after a quick run? I have picture proof:

Yep, sweat, puffing and frizz galore! We don't all look like models when we workout!

My final stage of a perfect morning?

BREAKFAST!!

(And maybe a shower first :)

This morning there were some overly-ripe plums in our fruit bowl, a small spotty banana, an almost-empty-jar of peanut butter and a girl with a slightly large obsession for oats ready for breakfast...

Can you guess what I did? ;)
Into a saucepan went 1/2-3/4 cup steel cut oats + 1 small banana + 1 juicy, chopped plum (I froze the other one for some plum fro-yo) + 1 cup almond milk + 1 cup water- cooked on medium heat for 20 mins, until liquid absorbed and the let to sit for another 5 to cool before adding in a few scoops of greek yoghurt for added protein and cheesecake-ness :)

Poured into an almost empty jar of peanut butter (with a little extra peanut butter in the middle and on top)

Mmmmmmm, this was so good!

May have gone a little over board with the peanut butter... but can you ever really go overboard with peanut butter? (I guess if you grab a spoon and the entire thing...)

Anywho, it was delicious, filled me up and is a great option for recovery fuel after working out

It also looks really pretty too- another fundamental element of my breakfasts (unless it's a chocolate green monster smoothie- no one can make that look pretty!)

That's what a perfect morning looks like for me! (Of course finishing it off with writing up a blog post ;)

What about you?
What does a perfect morning include for you?
Do you prefer running in the morning or at the end of the day? I've switched from after school to early morning- who knows maybe I'll switch back!
Favourite recovery breakfast? Oats, and lots of em'!

Well, I seem to have rambled on for far long than anticipated, so I'll leave you now to your weekend!Relax, have fun, take a breather (that's what I'll be doing!) and eat something delicious! Bye friends! :D

Yes, I really do crave veggies

It's Friday, Friday! It's also the start of 2 weeks of holidays for me! If you can't already tell I'm extremely excited!
I started my lazy, not rushed Friday morning with a big almost empty jar of peanut butter filled with whipped banana cinnamon steel cut oats, with a side of mandarin slices and dates. Why? Because that's what my body really felt like today:)

This is exactly what I wanted to talk about today- cravings that may not make sense, but taste so amazing when fulfilled.

People often look at what I eat and think I'm on a crazy vegetable diet of some kind or that I'm torturing my body by stuffing it with steamed unmentionables (hello brussels sprouts)

I'm not crazy (entirely), I'm definitely not on a diet and I don't find eating brussel sprouts torturous.. I actually enjoy them (have for as long as I can remember)

Why have I all of a sudden started thinking of this? Last night I was craving veggies. Last night I ate a lot of veggies:

Baked sweet potato with coconut butter, some organic blue maize tortilla chips and half a plate of steamed greens (broccoli, brussels sprouts, beans, peas and corn (ok, corns yellow)

It was what I really wanted to eat so it all tasted absolutely amazing- especially the steamed greens.

I  also generally have more thanone craving at a time so the sweet potato and coconut butter satisfied my sweet/rich tooth..

And the tortilla chips satisfied my crunchy/salty tooth..

 On days when I don't eat many veggies, (I'm not gonna lie- these are very few. I just love my veggies so much!) I simply roll with it, because I know it's my body's way of telling me to ease up a bit, or focus on different nutrients it requires.

Some days I crave chocolate:

Overnight oats in an almost empty jar of almond butter with a side of chocolate-banana ice cream

This was my breakfast from a few days ago made by putting a chopped frozen banana, a few spoonfuls of greek yoghurt and some raw cacao into a food processor and whazzing until smooth. (scarping down the sides a few times)

It's what my body was telling me to have and it had never tasted better.

As you all know I also eat a lot of pizza. I won't ever say no to that craving:

You can find some of my favourite pizza recipes here, here and here

In conclusion (I had to write an essay yesterday if you hadn't guessed by my original concluding statement- yes they gave us an essay on the last day of school!) I have cravings, I satisfy them I'm happy. Most importantly I CRAVE veggies! I don't make myself eat them- I make myself cook them (or not) so I can eat them because I want to. Don't give me that look ;)
 

 

Sometimes a bowl/ plate/ glass full of veggies just hits the spot!

Make sure you satisfy your cravings not only for your tummy but your general well being! Happiness comes from listening to your body.

P.s. this is not a post giving you permission to eat that whole bag of chips or tub of ice cream. Satisfy your craving- don't over-do it because you never get to eat that kind of stuff. Moderation in any-thing is key... even my beloved vegetables :)

What are you craving right now?
Veggies. Love em or hate em?
Are you part of the minority loving brussles sprouts?

Catch ya later! :D