Raw goodness

Grilled portobello filled with organic goat cheese

Lately I've been a big fan of mushrooms. Shiitake & Portobello are two of my favorites. Portobello mushrooms are nutritious, low in fat and high in fiber which is good for our health. The portobello mushroom is a good source of selenium, potassium and B vitamins. So add some mushrooms to your diet, they're good for you!

I love Portobello in combination with organic goat cheese. One of my personal favorites is grilled portobello filled with organic goat cheese and walnut chunks. I grill the Portobello for 5 - 8 minutes with just a little bit of olive oil, then I add the organic goat cheese, walnut oil and walnut chunks and grill it again for 5 - 8 minutes. I serve it on a bed of spinach (or salad) with a couple of blueberries to sweeten it up. I don't mean to brag, but OMG this tastes so good! I could eat this everyday, seriously!

xoxo

Homemade lemonade

It's such a beautiful day in Antwerp, sunny and 25°. I have my summer dress and my flip-flops on and I'm feeling gooood! 

Hot weather asks for homemade lemonade, my sister and I both made the same delicious lemonade with fresh mint, fresh ginger, fresh lime juice and I also added a cinnamon stick. It's healthy, it's sweet and it doesn't contain any sugar! Woot!

xoxo

Banana porridge

Good morning sweet bowl of banana porridge with chunky pieces of dried fig, walnuts, almond flakes and cinnamon. What's not to love?

xoxo

The Weight of the Nation

                          
THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION is a four-part documentary series, each featuring case studies, interviews with our nation’s leading experts, and individuals and their families struggling with obesity.

The first film, CONSEQUENCES, examines the scope of the obesity epidemic and explores the serious health consequences of being overweight or obese. The second, CHOICES, offers viewers the skinny on fat, revealing what science has shown about how to lose weight, maintain weight loss and prevent weight gain. The third, CHILDREN IN CRISIS, documents the damage obesity is doing to our nation’s children. Through individual stories, this film describes how the strong forces at work in our society are causing children to consume too many calories and expend too little energy; tackling subjects from school lunches to the decline of physical education, the demise of school recess and the marketing of unhealthy food to children. The fourth film, CHALLENGES, examines the major driving forces causing the obesity epidemic, including agriculture, economics, evolutionary biology, food marketing, racial and socioeconomic disparities, physical inactivity, American food culture, and the strong influence of the food and beverage industry.

Watch the films for free here: Weight of the Nation

xoxo

A typical day...

When it's hot & sunny I crave healthy food even more! Big salads, fresh fruit, healthy juices,... YES please! All I need is sunshine, healthy food and green tea :)! I enjoyed these delicious plates today:

Breakfast
Steel cut oatmeal with unsweetened soy milk, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, cinnamon and strawberries.

Lunch
A big raw salad with 12 different veggies.

Dinner
Green salad with broccoli, brussels sprouts and baked salmon with thyme and rosemary.

What can I say, I love my veggies...
xoxo

Easy No-Rice Sushi Roll

It's a beautiful sunny day and I'm in the mood for sushi, so I made some no-rice sushi rolls, packed with delicious veggies and herbs. A perfect light & healthy dinner. Seaweed (e.g. nori, wakame) is considered superfood, it's packed with much-needed vitamins and minerals. This makes it even more delicious :)

Ingredients

• 1 carrot sliced into strips
• 1/3 cucumber sliced into strips
• Green lettuce
• 3 cherry tomatoes sliced
• Organic salmon sliced into strips
• Wakame seaweed
• Nori sheets
• Lime juice
• Fresh grated ginger
• Tamari soy sauce 
• Flax seed oil
• Sea salt & pepper

xoxo

My love for tea

I just realized I almost never blog about my drinks, guess what... they're healthy! :) During the day I only drink water and tea, sometimes a cup of coffee but not everyday.

I never drink sodas, they're packed with sugar and calories. Unhealthy and bad for you! Diet sodas may contain less or no calories but they're sweetened with aspartame, an unhealthy artificial sweetener. If you can't live without your daily lemonade, make it yourself! Just add some fruit or herbs (e.g. lemon, lime, fresh mint,...) to your water and add a few drops of stevia if you like your drinks a bit sweeter. Delicious.

I'm a big fan of tea, I love tea! Especially green tea, white tea, ginger tea and chai tea! Some of my favorite tea brands are Pukka, Yogi Tea and Kusmi Tea.

xoxo

Dr. Frank Lipman about Gluten

What you need to know about gluten.

Did you know that gluten in America differs from gluten in Europe? Or that gluten can even be found in some lipsticks? Dr. Frank Lipman gives us the inside scoop...

xoxo

Don't diet, eat healthy.

Trust me, the juice is worth the squeeze.

xoxo

Veggie noodles with shiitake

I love gluten-free pasta and noodles but I try to avoid carbs in the evening. For dinner I prefer lots of vegetables with some fish, eggs or lean meat (e.g. chicken or turkey).

"Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper". I like my dinner light and easy to digest, I hate going to bed feeling bloated.

Tonight I made some veggie noodles, I used bean sprouts to replace the noodles, they taste delicious with the organic Shiitake mushrooms I bought this weekend. Shiitake mushrooms contain all 8 essential amino acids. They're also a good source of vitamins and minerals, including iron and an antioxidant called selenium.

Super easy veggie noodles:

• Bean sprouts 
• Sugar snap peas
• Cherry tomatoes
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Organic tamari soy sauce

xoxo

I *heart* gluten-free oatmeal

I fell in love with gluten-free oatmeal, I've had oatmeal for breakfast every day for the past 2 weeks.

Unfortunately it's difficult to find gluten-free oats in Belgium. I've been using the oats from 'Rosies' to make my oatmeal, I bought them in an organic supermarket in Antwerp but they've been out of stock for 2 weeks now and I can't find them anywhere else. So I ordered gluten-free oats online on iHerb.com (a great organic webshop with lots of gluten-free products). Thank God for online shopping!

I found 3 different kinds of gluten-free oats from Bob's Red Mill . I ordered all 3 of them to see which one I like best :)

• Gluten-free quick rolled oats are simply rolled oats that have been cut into smaller pieces. Cooking time is 3-4 minutes.
• Gluten-free whole grain rolled oats are also known as Old-Fashioned Oats. They have been steamed, pressed with a roller and dried. Cooking time is 5-10 minutes.
• Gluten-free steel-cut oats are oats that have been cut into 2-3 pieces, they are different in texture. Cooking time is 20-25 minutes.

xoxo

Gluten by Dr. Mark Hyman

After seeing the TED speech by Dr. Mark Hyman, I also came across this video where he talks about celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. A lot of people are sensitive or allergic to gluten without even knowing it. Eating gluten for many years can be the cause of several diseases.

I believe our body doesn't need gluten, a healthy diet based on 'De Voedselzandloper' is 99% gluten-free (with a few exceptions that you can perfectly replace by gluten-free equivalents). A healthy diet based on vegetables, fruit, nuts, legumes, fish,... gives you all the nutrients you need to be healthy. Gluten are not necessary. I don't miss gluten in any way, in fact... I've never felt better or healthier.

xoxo

 

Healthy appetizer

If you're having guests over for drinks or dinner, offer them a healthy appetizer. Appetizers with bread or toast or chips always made me feel so bloated and so full that I was no longer hungry when dinner was served. These appetizers are super light and healthy and guilt-free! :)

Some examples are:

• Sugar snaps
• Carrots
• Cherry tomatoes
• Homemade hummus

But you can of course use all kinds of vegetables.
xoxo

Healthy snack

I always get a little hungry around 4 pm, so I usually eat some fruit in between meals. I went to the market yesterday and got some fresh strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Berries are super nutritious and powerful antioxidants and they're low in calories. A perfect healthy snack.

I love my berries with some cinnamon on top, a great combination.

xoxo

Vegetable soup with chicken meatballs

I made a big bowl of vegetable soup this morning, so I can enjoy a cup of homemade soup for lunch, dinner or just as a snack. I added some chicken meatballs to the soup (made from gluten-free low-fat ground chicken meat).

Vegetables:
1 onion
1 red bell pepper
5 large carrots
4 tomatoes
5 cherry tomatoes

Herbs:
Curcuma 
Cayenne pepper
Oregano
Herbal salt
Black pepper

xoxo

Mark Hyman at TEDMED 2010

I just finished reading 'De Voedselzandloper' by Kris Verburgh, I bought it last week and just couldn't stop reading because everything the author talks about makes total sense and is so well explained. I highly recommend this book to everyone who's interested in nutrition and how to prevent aging.  

The author, Kris Verburgh, recommended a video from a TED conference on his Facebook page. Mark Hyman discusses a "systems" approach to health care. In this 20 min speech Mark Hyman explains that the cause of the disease needs to be treated instead of all the individual symptoms. He also speaks about gluten and how they can cause several diseases. Very interesting, a must see!

xoxo

Cinnamon, my favorite herb

Cinnamon is a super herb, it helps to stabilize and regulate blood sugar (slowing the absorption of food so that you feel full longer), this is great if you want to lose some weight.

Cinnamon adds a sweet flavor to your food, which can help discourage cravings. I use cinnamon to replace sugar or other sweeteners. I add cinnamon to my oatmeal porridge, chai latte, non-dairy yoghurt, etc.

Cinnamon also helps move fat from the liver so that the body can use it for energy. Metabolizing fats more readily also lowers bad cholesterol. And Cinnamon has also been found to be an effective natural remedy for eliminating headaches and migraine relief.

And last but not least, Cinnamon tastes and smells delicious! I love it!

xoxo

Vegetarian ovendish

The following vegetarian ovendish is my sister's recipe. This one is not gluten-free but the bulgur she used can easily be replaced by the gluten-free equivalent: quinoa!

The ingredients are:

• Bulgur (or quinoa when gluten-free)
• Parsnip
• Red onion
• Sweet potato
• Lemon grass
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Cherry tomatoes
• Homemade dressing (lemon juice, maple syrup, olive oil and capers)

Looks good, doesn't it? xoxo

 http://www.charlotteboeyden.be/

Pickled herring salad

Fatty fish helps keep your heart healthy, I'm talking about fatty fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines and herring. These fatty fish are good sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. I made a delicious salad for lunch with pickled herring fillets.

• Green lettuce
• Spinach leaves
• 1/3 red bell pepper
• 1/4 cucumber
• 1/2 avocado
• 3 cherry tomatoes
• 2 small pickled herring fillets
• Lemon juice
• Herbal salt
• Pepper
• Basil

Cheers to a healthy heart! xoxo

Breakfast on a public holiday

Breakfast is definitely my favorite meal of the day, especially on Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday like today! I love taking my time for breakfast and awakening, I usually get up 30 minutes earlier than I have to just because I hate to rush in the morning.

I made myself a delicious breakfast this morning:

Gluten-free oatmeal (with unsweetened soy milk). I added some almond flakes, coconut flakes, chia seeds, ground flax seeds and cinnamon. Super healthy and rich in soluble fibre.

I also had a few fresh strawberries, a glass of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and a cup of Kusmi Tea (green tea, orange & cinnamon flavor).

xoxo

Salmon with broccoli

Salmon is a perfect food to substitute meat, it is a good source of protein and healthy omega 3 fatty acids. Dark green vegetables such as kale, broccoli, green beans etc are packed with chlorophyll, vitamins A and C. They are high in fiber and low in calories, this makes them perfect food to keep your heart healthy and your waistline slim.

I enjoyed a piece of salmon tonight (baked in extra virgin olive oil) with thyme and rosemary, accompanied by some steamed broccoli. Boiling removes many of the vitamins and minerals from this vegetable, so steaming is the preferred method for cooking broccoli. Just so you know, if you eat broccoli, you might as well get the most from it :)

xoxo

Ratatouille

Ratatouille is usually served as a side dish, but can also be served as a meal on its own. I love it, a big bowl of veggies! I make ratatouille quite often and when I do, I usually make a large portion for a few days and take some to work for lunch. Each time I feel a little hungry I have a small portion of ratatouille, a healthy snack. Helps me stay away from sweet treats :)

Tomatoes are the key ingredient of my ratatouille. Next to tomatoes I add zucchini, eggplant, red bell peppers, mushrooms, onions and lots of herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, sea salt and pepper).

I like to add some Tofu, Tempeh or Quorn to ratatouille. These vegetarian meat replacers add some protein to the dish and make you feel full longer. This time I added Quorn, a meat alternative that is high in protein and dietary fibre and low in saturated fat and salt. Yummy.

xoxo

Veggie zucchini pasta

Pasta sounds healthy but it's actually not. Carbs are bad boys (cookies, bread, pasta, ...) that raise our blood sugar level. That's why I try to avoid carbs as much as possible and replace them by vegetables, fruit, nuts & seeds, lean white meat (chicken or turkey), oily fish (e.g. salmon), meat replacers such as tofu and quorn, etc.

For dinner I made veggie zucchini pasta with tomatoes, spinach and fennel. Delicious with a little extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper and oregano. And I'm also sippin on a glass of organic red Merlot.

I'm also proud to show you my PAM cooking spray, 100% organic canola oil. PAM is a non-stick spray with 0 calories. It's great to moisten your pan and cook fat-free. 

xoxo

Soy cinnamon café latte

I love coffee, I used to drink coffee everyday. I was in love with Starbucks latte's. But I kicked off from them, now when I go to Starbucks I order a Chai Latte with soy milk, my new addiction :). But today I treated myself to a homemade soy cinnamon café latte.

• Unsweetened organic soy milk foam (made with Nespresso aeroccino)
• Nespresso 'Roma' coffee
• 2 drops pure vanilla extract
• Cinnamon

I'm in love! 

xoxo

'De voedselzandloper' by Kris Verburgh

De voedselzandloper, the first 'what to eat, what not to eat' book that makes total sense! Kris Verburgh explains that eating healthy keeps your body young and prevents diseases. Losing weight is not the main goal, it's a nice side effect.

He explains why the food pyramid isn't correct and he replaces it by a new model 'de voedselzandloper', the upper side contains unhealthy food that we should avoid, the lower side contains healthy food that we should try to eat as often as possible. The lower side gives you healthy alternatives. E.g. replace milk products by soy milk or almond milk, replace bread by oatmeal, replace sugar by stevia or agave, etc.

I recommend this book to everyone who's interested in a healthy lifestyle! For more information, go to http://www.voedselzandloper.com/.

xoxo

Mother's Day Breakfast

Happy Mother's Day to all you mommy's out there! Surprise your mom with a healthy breakfast this morning, she'll love it!

Let's talk about morning rituals...
I start every morning with 16 ounces of warm water with lemon juice, this stimulates your digestive system. After 20 minutes I have breakfast and I take my daily supplements (I now take Chlorella and Vitamin D). During the winter I also take Vitamin C (cough season) and sometimes I also take Omega 3 fish oil supplements. I try to do some exercises in the morning, sometimes I go running or go for an early fitness session. Most days I do some stretching or yoga exercises, feels great after sleeping for 8 hours!

For breakfast this morning, I had my daily portion of gluten-free oatmeal (with sugar-free soy milk) with 1/2 organic apple, 5 strawberries, cinnamon and 3 chopped walnuts. I also enjoyed a small raspberry-cranberry smoothie (vitamin C boost!)

xoxo

A healthy lifestyle

There are so many diets available (protein diet, atkins, south beach, dukan, etc...) Each of these diets promise you that you will lose weight very fast. These diets may work as quick-fix methods when you want to lose weight in a hurry. However, unless you approach a diet as a lifestyle change, the results will only be temporary. Once you start eating 'normal' again, the weight comes right back. In my opinion, the only diet that works isn't really a 'diet', it's a change of lifestyle. When you eat healthy whole food, you will lose weight, feel good and look great! 

I just bought a great book called 'De voedselzandloper', the author explains how eating healthy food can prevent diseases, slow down aging and make you lose weight. He also explains why diets don't work. Diets are an effort, they are difficult to follow (only proteins, no fats, no carbs, less calories, etc.) and they are all temporary. When you eat the right food it's not an effort, you don't have to starve yourself and the weight you lose will stay away! A healthy lifestyle is the best diet!

Eating gluten-free made me realize how important it is to eat healthy and made me more aware of what I put in my mouth. I eat fresh, nutritious whole foods (mostly organic) and say no to processed food that is packed with unhealthy fats, sugar and other bad stuff. And I've never felt better!

xoxo

Chlorella, a powerful superfood!

"Chlorella has been touted as the perfect whole food. Aside from being a complete protein and containing all the B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, and the major minerals (with zinc and iron in amounts large enough to be considered supplementary), it has been found to improve the immune system, improve digestion, detoxify the body, accelerate healing, protect against radiation, aid in the prevention of degenerative diseases, help in treatment of Candida albicans, relieve arthritis pain and, because of its nutritional content, aid in the success of numerous weight loss programs."

- Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible

Interested in trying Exordium Chlorella supplements? 

Go to http://www.materia-training.com/en/shop/exordium-chlorella for more information!

xoxo

Gluten-free strawberry oatmeal

Oatmeal for breakfast is a very healthy way to start your day! Gluten-free oatmeal for me of course :)

Oatmeal may help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. The soluble fiber in oatmeal absorbs a considerable amount of water which significantly slows down your digestive process, this result is that you'll feel full longer, so oatmeal can help you control your weight. Oats contain more soluble fiber than whole wheat, rice or corn. Oatmeal contains a wide array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and is a good source of protein, complex carbohydrates and iron. The fiber and other nutrients found in oatmeal may actually reduce the risk for certain cancers.

Do I need to say more?

This morning I had a lovely oatmeal breakfast:

• Gluten-free oats
• Soy milk (unsweetened & organic)
• Fresh strawberries
• Fresh fig
• Almond flakes
• Cinnamon

Have a great weekend! xoxo

Organic gluten-free oats

Gluten-free oatmeal, hmmm... love at first sight!
This is what I'll be having for breakfast tomorrow morning:

• 1 cup gluten-free organic oats
• 1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• Pinch cinnamon
• Blueberries, raspberries and strawberries
• Ground flax seeds 
• Almonds & walnuts

Yuuuuum!

xoxo

Spinach & feta savory pancakes

It's not a secret that I love pancakes. Every sunday I'm craving pancakes, can't help myself :) Today I made myself some Organic spinach & feta savory pancakes.

I used the following ingredients:

• 3 tbsp gluten-free flour
• 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 organic whole egg
• 1 organic egg white
• Organic goat milk
• Organic spinach leaves
• Organic feta cheese 
• Pinch of herbal salt
• Lemon juice

OMG, I love them! xoxo

Smoothie with a big S

As an afternoon snack I made a super nutritious smoothie, this baby is a real energy booster!

• 1 organic pear
• Mixed frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk 
• Cinnamon powder
• Vanilla extract
• Crushed ice
• Cinnamon stick for extra flavor (I love cinnamon!)

Blend all these ingredients together, poor into a big glass and enjoy!

xoxo

Summer Quinoa Salad - part II

I loved the Summer Quinoa Salad I made last week, I decided to make a new portion so I can enjoy this healthy lunch at work during the week. I used a few extra ingredients to make it even more nutritious.

This time I added:

• Quinoa (proteins!)
• Mango 
• Avocado (healthy fats!)
• Red pepper 
• Carrots 
• Red beans (proteins!)
• Spinach leaves 
• Cayenne pepper
• Herbal salt
• Extra virgin olive oil

xoxo

Gluten-free perfection

My sister made the following dish, doesn't this look amazing?
What's in it (and I quote) :

• Sweet potato
• Carrots
• Raisins
• Roasted pine nuts
• Roasted walnuts
• Goat cheese
• Sesame seeds

and...

• Fresh lemon balm
• Grated ginger
• Rosemary
• Sunflower oil
• Honey
• Walnut oil
• Lemon balsamic oil 

No extra words are necessary, the picture speaks for itself, gluten-free perfection :)

xoxo

Summer Quinoa Salad

It's a beautiful sunny day and I made myself a healthy lunch, a Summer Quinoa Salad. Quinoa is a low glycemic gluten-free grain that's very high in protein (16%-20% protein compared to rice (7%) and wheat (14%)). It's super healthy and delicious.

I added a lot of fresh veggies & herbs to my quinoa salad:

• Tomatoes
• Cucumber
• Carrots
• Red pepper
• Avocado
• Spinach leaves
• Herbal salt
• Pepper
• Basil
• Extra virgin olive oil

Best thing is, I made 2 portions so I can take the second portion to work tomorrow! Yay!

I had some fresh strawberries for dessert, these babies are packed with antioxidants and vitamin C.

xoxo