Tag: recipe

Protein Packed Porridge – try our recipe

3rd February 2017

See below for the no nonsense protein packed porridge recipe:

Does porridge fill you up?

I know it should, but I don’t get it, because this week I tried it, I loved it, but porridge fell down on filling me up.

Of course I tried again when I wasn’t full and now I’m  happy to share to save you time in trying as I’ve hit the nail on the head. This is a perfeclty simple but protein packed porridge that’s not only tasty, but filling and healthy too.  Seriously, this breakfast was warming for these dark wintry mornings, and a comforting start to look forward to on waking.

To try it you will need:

INGREDIENTS –

OATS (2 handfuls) | CHIA SEEDS (2 tbsp) | MILLED FLAX SEED (2tbsp) | HEMP MILK (100-150ml) | APPLES (1 medium) | CINNAMON (1 tsp) | COCONUT OIL (1 tsp)| PUMPKIN SEEDS (1 heaped tsp)| SUNFLOWER SEEDS (1 heaped tsp)| ALMONDS (handful)| MAPLE SYRUP (1 tbsp)

*Measurements will differ depending how you like your porridge though, so have a play around with ingredients until you get it not too runny, not too thick, but just right!

METHOD –

Pop the oats in a bowl with 100ml hemp milk, the chia seeds and the milled flax seed

Stir it all together and pop in the microwave for 1 minute on a high heat

Meanwhile – or in fact before you heat the oats – melt the teaspoon of coconut oil in a pan

Core and slice the apple quite thinly, leaving the skin on

Add it to the pan once oil has melted |Add the cinnamon in on top of the apple

Add the almonds, seeds and maple syrup

Stir up up and make sure all the ingredients in the pan are coated in the sticky syrup and cinnamon mixture

Leave to simmer and the apple to soften for about 3-5 mins

Add the remaining 50mls hemp milk to the oat mix and reheat for another 1 minute

Stir the porridge, add half the apple mix  from the pan on to the top

*You can then add the remaining mixture, or some more maple syrup, nuts or seeds of choice to garnish!

**Eat quickly while piping HOT**

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tasty tuesday | mary berry | christmas cupcakes

Mary Berry Christmas Cupcakes | Tasty Tuesday

23rd December 2016

Its that time of year that we need to share the ultimate in wonderful Mary Berry Christmas Cupcakes recipe.  If anyone remembers back to (approx) Xmas 2011 they may remember this.  The pre-measured, foolproof, no nonsense baking of the Christmas cupcakes brought to you by the one and only Mary Berry.  The best tasting Christmas there ever was and the one and only time I have baked well!

To celebrate I wanted to share her recipe because you cant find these packs for love nor money anymore and I cant find the recipe listed on Marys website or books anywhere either….such a shame – but here we go this was what was in that pack and what we did with it:

INGREDIENTS:

For the Christmas cupcakes –

200g dark brown sugar

225g self raising flour

6g mixed spice

190g mixed fruit (sultanas, mixed peel, currants, raisins)

150g unsalted (softened) butter

3 medium eggs

1 orange

12 cupcake cases

Silver/Gold balls to decorate (totally optional, any other decorations of your choice excellent too)

 

For the brandy butter icing –

225g icing sugar

100g unsalted (softened) butter

35ml brandy

 

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 180 and pop the cupcake cases in your cupcake tin

Beat the butter and sugar together

Fold the flour and mixed spice into that mix (this will become quite dry but don’t panic at this stage) *you might want to sieve the flour first to make it nice and light in the mixture

Next crack in the 3 whole eggs

Zest the orange, add the zest and the juice and then mix everything together

Lastly stir in the dried fruit before dividing the cake mix up into the cupcake cases

Pop them in the oven for approx half hour

Lick the spoon – its good right?

For the icing –

Beat the icing sugar and remaining butter until smooth

Add the brandy making it even creamer and light

*The smell at this point is so Christmassy with the brandy icing and the spiced cakes starting to cook, that you will be wanting a mulled wine/mulled cider/baileys; so pour yourself a drink before you take the cupcakes out to cool*

After 30mins (ish) take the cakes are out the oven and leave to cool for about 15mins while you finish your drink

Then take a pallet knife or spatula and spread the brandy icing on top

At this point you can also add the silver balls, or any other decorations of your choice

*Now sit back, feet up and savor one of these spiced and boozy Christmas cupcakes while they are still fresh and warm in the middle*

Nutrition Information:

  • Don’t worry about it.  Its Christmas and its cake.  Seriously if you cant have your cake and eat it at Christmas when else can you?
  • Being serious, obviously these are boozy, they are not for kids or anyone with alcohol intolerance or difficulties
  • Please remember to eat and drink in moderation AND that these can make great gifts….or are fab for sharing!
  • ENJOY and INDULGE just remember balance, one is great, three perhaps not so much

 

Merry Christmas everyone! 

Seasons Greetings and Festive cheer to all from no nonsense nita x

For more info, recipes and no nonsense nutrition tips check out the weekly digest HERE

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Or contact us for more: info@nitakothari.com

 

thirsty Thursday green smoothie vitamin A

Thirsty Thursday | Simple Green Smoothie Recipe

23rd December 2016

Looking for a fresh healthy start to the day in among the fabulous gluttony and excess of the festive period?  Then give this thirsty Thursday simple green smoothie a shot.  Or indeed have a shot at this super simple green smoothie.  Or in fact have a shot OF this fresh no nonsense green smoothie.  However you do it, here is the list of ingredients included in this one; including a money saving, time saving, labour saving, no nonsense cheat!

Start the day staring down the barrel of a smoothie straw into this blend:

INGREDIENTS:

Cucumber (1/3rd)

Fresh, raw baby spinach leaves (generous handful)

Frozen mango chunks (handful)

The fresh juice of half a lemon

JUICE – apple, red pepper, sweet potato

Water (approx 240mls / medium glass)

 

METHOD:

For the Juice:

Puree (or juice if you have a juicer) 3-4 large (red) apples, 1-2 medium red or orange pepper and 1 medium sweet potato (skin off).  Add the juice of half a lemon to keep this fresh.  As long as stored in an airtight container and refrigerated this will last up to 3 days but in all honesty there wont be much of it.

SO you could;

Buy apple, pepper and sweet potato juice ready made (I got mine in Tesco) *Just take note as we mentioned before if buying pre-made juices and smoothies, make sure you double check the ingredients list and the nutrition label for anything else added that may not agree with you, or for added/extra sugar or anything you cant pronounce!*  This one has apple puree, and the traffic light system label does show its higher in sugar than anything else, but these will be mainly fruit sugars from the apple and apple puree so not to worry too much.

For the green smoothie:

Chop the cucumber into blender

Add the frozen mango chunks

Add the spinach

Squeeze over the lemon juice

Pour over the apple, red pepper and sweet potato juice

Add the 240mls of water or enough to cover and to get the smoothie to your desired consistency

BLEND (adding more water as you go if needed)

 

You could also pop a carrot or 2 in the juice, or chop and add to the blender smoothie mix.  You could add some raw ginger for an extra kick.  You could pop some lettuce in there too – crisp round iceberg lettuce keeps it nice and fresh! Also have a mix up of the apple, pepper, sweet potato portions to balance the flavour to your liking.

 

Nutrition Information:

Why are we sharing the recipe?

  • It was a super simple tasty wake up
  • You can make the juice separately and keep that itself for about 3 days to use in other blends
  • Its super and simple and green and we might just need that fresh start at this time of year when we have finished everything else to excess….a good bit of fruit and veg can top vitamins and minerals up and keep  fibre flowing to keep your gut working (even when overloaded with Xmas)
  • VITAMIN A – can be found in all the main ingredients in this smoothie: especially sweet potato, red pepper and mango.  In fact if you’re looking for plant based sources of vitamin A  (these come in the form of beta-carotene that is converted in the body to vitamin A and used for the following) look for fruits and veggies that are red or orange or even yellow in colour.  Red bell peppers are bursting with it and 1 sweet potato (including the skin thats not used in this recipe) can give you up to 438% of your daily allowance compared a regular white potato only providing 1%.
  • Vitamin A and C (which is also found in most this smoothies ingredients) will help keep your immune system working against infection, keep your skin nice and clear and healthy and most importantly at this time of year vitamin A can help keep the lining of some body parts clear and healthy too – especially the nose.  Good to know for cold and flu season right?
  • People can be prescribed vitamin A topically or internally for conditions such as acne, wrinkles or dry eye so before you suffer any of those, top up on the vitamin A super boosting smoothie!

 

For more info, recipes and smoothie cheats check out the weekly digest HERE

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Or contact us for more: info@nitakothari.com

 

feel good friday | winter salad recipe

Feel Good Friday | Winter Salad Recipe

18th December 2016

Yes – we LOVE Fridays.  Feel Good Friday is a thing.  And our no cook, no nonsense Winter Salad Recipe we made last Friday needs to be shared. You see this Friday I had the opportunity to get up a bit later, take it easy for breakfast and the whole morning routine.  I was lucky enough to work from home securing the offers exclusive to our subscribers in this weeks free Weekly Digest newsletter (Not signed up yet?  Want to?  You can do that HERE) and then, after a fabulous morning I had the time and opportunity to whip up a lunch to enjoy by myself in the peace and quiet of an empty house before heading out for some evening work that id been looking forward to as well.  ALL GOOD.

So the lunch is what I wanted to share with you.

From bits and pieces in the fridge and some leftovers I layered up a great winter salad.

INGREDIENTS:

Rocket (generous handful)

Chicken (left over cooked chicken breast pieces)

Baby beetroot (from packet, approx 5)

Broccoli (handful florets, broken up into small chunks)

3 bean mix (including haricot beans, black beans, pinto beans)

Sweetcorn

Red pepper (1/3rd chopped into tiny chunks)

Tbsp Red wine vinegar (tbsp)

Juice of half a lemon (freshly squeezed)

2 x tbsp Oil (rapeseed, olive or your preferred variety)

Fresh mint (to taste – not too much!)

 

METHOD:

For the 3 bean salad –

The beans were from a tin, I did not buy and soak and prep #nononsense.  Just remember from a tin to buy in water, not in oil if possible.  Drain the beans and pop about half of each tin together in a bowl with sweetcorn and red pepper.  You can add as much or as little as you like of the corn and pepper I’d just say not too much red pepper as the corn will sweeten it up nicely enough.  Add salt and pepper here and mix together.

Add a tbsp red wine vinegar, 2 of oil (we used rapeseed, but olive oil or something light of your choice will do nicely), and squeeze over the juice (no pips) of half a lemon.  Mix in some fresh mint to taste as well.

TASTE the mix adding more lemon juice, vinegar, black pepper or mint as you like.

On the plate –

First pile the rocket (or spinach, black kale, watercress) in the center.  Pile the 3 bean mix on top, then the chopped (or even better, shredded) cooked chicken on top of that.  Then add the broccoli in bite sized pieces – raw. Keep on piling directly on top, the chopped beetroots and a little more bean mix.

Add a tiny pinch of salt, and then black pepper over the top.

You also add some pine nuts and/or sesame seeds for some added crunch.

Try it and let us know how you get on – share your no nonsense winter salad pics via Facebook, or tag us on your Instagram snaps @nononsensenita #nononsensenita.  You can also email me on info@nitakothari.com for more info, or if you have better ideas to share – what additions did you make to make this one your own??

And why are we telling you a bout this salad?

  1. Tasted amazing – give it a go!
  2. Filled me up – bonus!
  3. Took under 5 mins to make – no nonsense!
  4. Its seriously good for you healthy – nutritional values =
  • Rocket and broccoli are both good sources of Vitamin A and C.  Rocket also contains calcium and broccoli is high in fibre.  Broccoli also contains a variety of phytonutrients – chemicals that protect the plant from germs and disease that transfer nicely into us to help protect us against disease too!  Research suggests phytonutrients can help protect us against disease from cataracts to cancer.
  • Beetroot is lovely and high in vitamin C and fibre to give us a boost
  • In the beans you will find magnesium – for increased energy – and iron – that can eradicate fatigue.  Haricot beans also contain vitamin C, Pinto beans are high in fibre and vitamin B6, and black beans are high in protein too.
  • Chicken of course is protein rich and also contains good levels of vitamin B6.
  • FIBRE – helps control blood sugar levels (perhaps reducing our risk of developing type 2 diabetes)
  • IRON – metabolises proteins, eradicates fatigue
  • PROTEIN – functions as the building blocks (and to repair) our bones, muscles, cartilage
  • VITAMIN A – aids bone growth and immune health along with VITAMIN C helping fight bacteria and viruses more effectively.

 

For more no nonsense recipes, tips tricks and offers you can sign up for the free newsletter HERE.

Or contact us for more info at info@nitakothari.com.

 

fruit and nut smoothie

Complete the Cook – week 2

30th June 2016

In this weeks Complete the Cook we have 3 product recommendations for you that will help you complete the 2 recipes below:

 

 

FLATBREAD TOPPER

Ingredients:

  • Garlic and parsley flatbread (1/3rd)
  • Fresh raw baby spinach leaves (a generous handful)
  • Green olives in oil, cooked red peppers and chilli (another generous handful)
  • Feta cheese chunks (we cut 1 slice from the block and divided that into 6 pieces)
  • Quinoa Salad Topper (big tablespoon full)
  • Honey (just a nice drizzle over the top)

Method:

Put the stuff on top of the bread, in the order as listed above.  Enjoy!

FRUIT & NUT SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

  • Unsweetened almond milk (enough to cover the fruit in blender)
  • Perfectly Imperfect Strawberries AS PER LAST WEEKS BLOG (large handful)
  • Frozen cherries (large handful)
  • Acai powder (heaped teaspoon full)
  • Chia Seeds (tablespoon)
  • Cucumber (1/3rd)
Method:

Add the fruit and chia seeds to the blender / Cover with the milk / Pop in the powder / Blend til creamy (find the consistency you prefer adding less milk, more chia for thicker and vice versa for more diluted) / Drink and enjoy with your breakfast or as a super boost snack!

You can find out about the products we used to Complete the Cook : HERE

And for more complete the cook recommendations and recipe rounds ups, tips sheets, nutrition, health and wellbeing info and lots more, directly to you – Be one of the first to receive our free newsletter: HERE

 

Remember we offer fully comprehensive weight management programmes and health coaching, so for more about what we do and how we can help you create your own healthy recipe and healthy eating plans, give me a shout on  info@nitakothari.com if you’d like to find out more.  We’d love to work with you to create healthy recipes using the foods YOU like so YOU enjoy them! 

  For a free, no obligation, consultation just get in touch:  info@nitakothari.com

To follow us and share pics of your own smoothie creations or healthy recipes we should try, please comment below, or get involved via social media: We’re here:

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eatwell guide

Portion Size?

26th June 2016

Bonus Q & A. This week you asked mostly about Portion Size. And ladies and gents – SIZE MATTERS.  How many? How much? What weight? How many grams is that? How big a handful? Is that enough? Am I putting in too much? …..etc…..

You asked in relation to our recipes/ideas/creations.  When sharing my ideas I need point out its usually instant so I can give you a list of ingredients, BUT I know, I don’t usually tell you how much to use, so I wanted to address this question of portion size firstly in relation to our “recipes” and secondly in general.

 

PORTION SIZE in our creations:

The simple, honest, no nonsense answer as to why we don’t usually include a weight or measurement is because

A) We don’t usually weigh or measure our ingredients.  *

B) Because the recipes or ideas we share are usually a one off/first time/instant/this is what I just made and its great – kind of thing.  So making it again could mean we use a different portion size of each ingredient or other ingredients!

C) Also, we don’t TELL you how much because we try to EMPOWER you to make your own decisions and creative choices when it comes to food.  You might not like one of the ingredients we use, so you can try the recipe and leave that out/substitute it.  You may love something in there, so want to include more.  And that’s fine.

(* Can I just add we haven’t really attempted baking yet in any pro manner – baking will and does require more precise measurements and when we cross that bridge things may become more precise – for now a cup means use the same cup for all cupfuls in this recipe, a handful means your own hand size, table spoon is the one in the drawer next to the knife and fork, tea spoon is the one your stir the milk in with)

more “Portion Size?” …

naked blueberry pancake stack

For the LOVE of PANCAKES

11th February 2016

For the love of pancakes this is definitely one of the better weeks of the year. Tuesday was Pancake Day – whoop! And Sunday will be Valentines Day, so love is in the air – another whoop! Two of my favourite ever celebrations! Come on – who doesn’t LOVE PANCAKES?!

And ok – who has never actually made pancakes before?  Who enjoys a stack when eating out? Who has a friend/family member/other half that cooks them for us?

Well me too.  My love of pancake day and all things pancakes was threatened this year when I realised I wouldn’t get to see my best mate who makes THE BEST blueberry pancakes ever, or see my boy who has a simple but classic pancake recipe that works every time.  So I decided to make them myself.  If you follow me on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram you will have seen the (amazing if I say so myself) results.  If you don’t follow me on social media do it now to see the results, then email me on info@nitakothari.com for the recipes we tried and tested and the alterations to the creations we used to A) make things healthy and to B) save time and effort, while giving maximum results and taste – no nonsense.

 

Remember, remember…this chilli recipe

5th November 2015

How do you celebrate bonfire night?  I think its traditional here that we all gather in someones garden (whoever has the biggest space), the men build a bonfire, we make Guys from paper, balloon faces and charity shop suits…the catherine wheels are lit and never really work scaring the life out us all but we still oooooh and aaaaah when the big bangers go off and the at the “grand finale” of garden fireworks.  We do this until our toes and fingers are numb, while wearing all the winter clothes we own and we eat chilli that is hotter than the sun to warm us from the inside out – I love bonfire night!

So as its November 5th and Thursday blog day we are sharing with you our veggie chilli recipe to enjoy tonight, along with some safety tips for your fireworks celebrations.

Be safe and enjoy!

You can read the full blog and chilli bake recipe HERE

 

Hello Pumpkin!

29th October 2015

Well its nearly time for trick or treating this weekend and in this weeks blog there are a few pumpkin based treats just for you!  Check out or scarily spicy version of the classic pumpkin soup and our no nonsense recipe for your very own, make at home, pumpkin spice latte!

 

You can read the full blog here: Hello Pumpkin!