Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but do you know why? Food is fuel and provides your body with energy. Eating breakfast also helps you lose weight! Breakfast increases your metabolism, this means how fast you burn calories. If you don't eat breakfast, your body doesn't process your next meal as quickly and tries to hold onto those nutrients. Since your body didn't get any morning fuel, it will burn the afternoon meal much slower so that decreases your metabolism. Skipping breakfast makes your body crave to something sweet and you'll end up snacking on unhealthy foods. So breakfast really is the most important meal of the day!

I try to have proteins, vitamins and minerals for breakfast, such as eggs and fruit. Eggs keep you feeling full much longer and are a great source of protein. Fresh fruit salad provides a slow release of energy to get you through until lunchtime and also provides you with a lot of vitamins and minerals. I especially love fresh fruit salads during Spring & Summer when there's more exotic fruit available.

Fruit salad 1: Pineapple, Mango, Apple, Kiwi, Strawberry, Blueberries, Pomegranate
Fruit salad 2: Strawberry, Blueberries, Pomegranate
Eggs: Omelet with oregano and tomato

xoxo

            

Goat cheese salad

You must eat fatty foods like cheese in moderation. But when it comes to fat and calories, goat cheese is a better choice than cheese made from cow's milk. Goat cheese is delicious in a salad and the perfect dinner on a sunny Spring night like this one.

I had a friend over for dinner tonight and we made our favourite goat cheese salad:

• Rocket salad with red beets
• Cherry tomatoes
• Avocado
• Goat cheese
• Raw mixed nuts
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Walnut oil
• Organic raw honey

We also had a glass of cava, just to celebrate the first days of Spring :)

 

xoxo

 

Wakame noodles

I just tried something new... wakame & brown rice noodles. Wakame is a deep green seaweed that is high in a variety of minerals and nutrients and very low in calories. I bought these noodles in Amsterdam and let me just say, these babies are DELICIOUS and of course 100% gluten-free. I had these noodles with fresh spinach, feta cheese, pine nuts and half an avocado. This may sound like a weird combination, but these ingredients actually taste very good together. And, feta is lower in calories than many other types of cheese so it can be a healthy addition to any diet, when used in moderation of course. 

xoxo

Green Greek Salad

Green leafy vegetables should be an important part of your healthy diet. Greens are packed with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that prevent cancer and other diseases. I eat leafy greens everyday, in a salad or in a green smoothie.

Today I'm having a friend over for dinner and I'll make sure she has her portion of leafy greens today :)I prepared a super healthy greek salad with a lot of fresh & healthy ingredients.

• Rocket salad
• Baby spinach leaves
• Romaine lettuce
• Alfalfa sprouts
• Red pepper
• Green pepper
• Avocado
• Feta cheese
• Walnuts
• Pine nuts
• Chia seeds
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Walnut oil
• Herbal salt 
• Pepper
• Splash of lemon juice (to keep it fresh)

Have a fun & healthy weekend! xoxo

Sweet Smoothie

Skip the overpriced smoothie bars and blend your own healthy smoothies. All you need is a good blender and a large stock of fruit and veggies :) This morning I made myself this delicious sweet smoothie:

• 1 organic banana
• 1 organic apple
• 2 tbsp frozen blueberries
• 1 cup filtered water
• pinch of cinnamon
• 2 drops vanilla extract
• 2 tsp chia seeds

Have a great day! xoxo

Girls just wanna eat chocolate

Easter is coming up so I thought... let's make some raw superfood easter eggs! Yay! I used the following ingredients to make these healthy easter eggs:

• Walnuts
• Chia seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• 100% raw cacao powder
• Carob powder
• Maple syrup

I blended all the ingredients together to create a sticky dough (I used my food processor) and I created little eggs with it. So much fun. So forget the processed easter eggs and replace them with this healthy alternative! I've said it before and I'll say it again... you don't have to be on a diet if you're eating healthy! You can have chocolate, the raw kind!

xoxo

The Power of Pomegranate

Every fruit and every vegetable has its own health benefits, one of my favourite fruits is Pomegranate. I eat is as a snack or drink it in a juice. A pomegranate is a very nutritious superfruit with a lot of health benefits. Pomegranates are rich sources of vitamin C, folic acid, fiber, potassium, niacin and vitamins A and E. And they are also great antioxidants.

Pomegranates are healthy for your heart and can lower your high blood pressure and cholesterol level! And last but not least, pomegranates keep your skin looking young and wrinkle free if you eat them regularly!

You should only eat the seeds of the pomegranate or throw them in a healthy smoothie. I guarantee, you'll love it.

xoxo

A for Appetizer

Imagine a nice summer night, a few friends, a bottle of delicious red wine and... appetizers! Hmmm, I love appetizers! I usually eat so much of them that I'm no longer hungry when dinner is served. But then again, I'm probably not the only one with this problem :) 

I like healthy and light appetizers, no fried chicken & chips for me! Today I made 2 appetizers that are very easy to make: veggies with homemade hummus and dates filled with organic goat cheese and walnuts.

Yesterday I made a green vegan salad with chickpeas and I used the rest of the chickpeas to make this hummus. Hummus is very easy to make and all you need is a blender or food processor:

• 1 large cup chickpeas (soaked and cooked)
• 1 clove chopped garlic
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp tahini
• pinch of sea salt
• pinch of black pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Serve the hummus with some veggie sticks such as carrots, celery, red pepper, etc. 

I also made one of my personal favourites: dates filled with organic goat cheese and walnuts! Speaks for itself, too good to stay away from :)

Enjoy! xoxo

Green vegan salad

I think I'm in love... with avocados! Seriously, I ate one every day last week. And there are 4 more waiting for me in my fridge :). I usually eat them in a salad, my favourite lunch! 

I made myself a delicious & nutritious green vegan salad today. Next to avocados I used another super nutritious ingredient: chickpeas! Chickpeas are a very good source of fiber and manganese and they are also a good source of protein as well as minerals such as iron, magnesium, copper, and zinc. 

Here's your shopping list (this is for 2 portions):

• 1 cup baby spinach leaves
• 1 cup rucola with red beets
• 1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup chickpeas
• Tofu
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• pinch of sea salt
• pinch of pepper

And with the rest of the chickpeas, I'm making a delicious hummus!

xoxo