Health on a Plate 2015

If you could eat the healthiest meal, what would it be?   A bowl of green gazpacho, a freshly made salad with organic leaves picked from your garden, a fat-free Portobello mushroom burger,  a fruit filled sugar-free dessert?  I'm sure each one of us would come up with a different dish - and why not?   The options are endless and eating well has never been easier or more exciting!  

I'm particularly thrilled to see so many young people these days getting interested in naturally healthy foods. With so many bright, talented food writers and bloggers spreading the word and offering inspiration and encouragement,  there has never been a better time to eat healthily. At last, taking care of our bodies is trendy!  Gone are the days when we were considered cranky odd bods who ate nut roasts and lived on salad leaves!

With more and more people diagnosed with food intolerances and allergies too,  interest in foods free from dairy, gluten and sugar is at an all time high.  The good news is that whatever your reason for trying these foods, your body is likely to benefit in all sorts of ways.  You may feel lighter or have more energy, your digestion may improve, you may even sleep better or feel more relaxed but I can guarantee you will feel better!

On all the courses I have taught at Bodnant,  it's sitting around the big wooden table together for lunch that has been a real highlight for me.  It's here that people relax after a busy morning in the kitchen and discover shared interests, new tastes and different flavours.  Eating a meal of purely plant-based foods for the first time can be a revelation. People are often surprised how filling the dishes are and how deeply satisfying it is to make your own food from scratch, using simple fresh ingredients.

Once again this year,  I'll be running a one-day course at Bodnant Cookery School called "Health on a Plate."  With a set of brand new recipes I've developed specially for this year's course,  it will be a full day focusing on the best of healthy eating.  As always, the day will be practical and very hands-on. You will be cooking and preparing food all day and receive lots of help and advice, plus you will have some wonderful food to take home too!

The course is on Sunday, 16th August from 11am to 4pm.  I do hope you'll be able to come and you will find all the details on the Bodnant website.  

Here are some more of the photos from my last course in April.

 

Inspiration to Eat Well ..... permanently!

I love eating good food especially when it's as tempting as these little dairy free cheesecakes!  Yes they taste just as good as they look and the good news is they are completely free from gluten and refined sugar too.

I've put together the recipe for my next course at Bodnant and I know we'll have lots of fun making them on the day.  I've even got some individual containers ready so everyone can take theirs home to share with family and friends!

Delicious, Fresh, Simple 

"Lighten Up for Summer" is on Sunday 26th April from 10.30am to 4pm and will be an inspiring day for anyone wishing to eat well  ... permanently!  If you've ever wished you could put an end to cravings for unhealthy foods and would love to start making your own fabulously tasty meals from scratch, this is for you!

Orzo Pasta with Slow-Roasted Vine Tomatoes, 
Spinach and Basil

Mallorcan Tumbet

Eating well has everything to do with good ingredients and, for the course, there will be a colourful range of fresh produce waiting for us to transform into deliciously light and healthy dishes including my low fat, high flavour version of the classic Mallorcan dish, Tumbet.


 

Courgette & Fennel Salad

We'll also be making a Mediterranean inspired pasta dish that can be eaten hot or cold and a wonderfully fresh tasting Courgette and Fennel Salad with an amazing creamy dressing!   All your ingredients and lunch are included so all you have to do is arrive .... hungry!

If you would like to join us at Bodnant Cookery School on Sunday 26th April, there are still a few places left.  Contact Bodnant on 01492 651100 or visit the website by clicking here.

New Year Detox

With the Christmas festivities fast approaching, I just wanted to tell you about the Cookery Workshops I have planned for 2015!  Altogether I'll be teaching four courses at Bodnant over the next twelve months in a Series called "Simple and Natural"  starting in January with the popular New Year Detox.  Here are all the dates to put in your diary!

Sat  10th January       New Year Detox

Sun 26th April            Lighten Up for Summer

Sun 16th August        Health on a Plate

Sat  21st November   Deliciously Dairy Free 

Each workshop will include a variety of appetising dishes which you will make alongside me in the spacious Cookery School.  No experience is necessary so please don't feel you have to be a food expert. I'll be there to guide you all the way.

I develop new recipes specially for my courses and they are always packed full of beautifully fresh ingredients.  They are dishes the whole family will enjoy and are totally free from meat, dairy, eggs and refined sugar and are usually gluten free too.

Each workshop starts at 11am (10.45am for a welcome drink!) and ends at 4pm when you'll leave laden with containers filled with all the dishes you've made.  The price for the day is still the same too - £95 which includes lunch and all your ingredients.

NEW YEAR DETOX

The first workshop in January is almost full (ten have booked so far) so if you are thinking of coming on the New Year Detox course, please don't leave it too long. It's a brilliant way to start the year and you'll meet other like-minded people who are keen to be healthy in 2015.

Detoxing has been practiced for centuries by different cultures around the world as a way of de-cluttering and cleansing the body. It can do wonders for the way you look and feel but it certainly doesn't mean going hungry!  By incorporating detox-friendly foods into everyday living, you can revitalise your body naturally from the inside out. And the food is so delicious, you won't even realise you are eating the healthy option!

BE HAPPY AND HEALTHY IN 2015

If being fitter and healthier is important to you, imagine how you would look and feel in a few months if you chose to be more health conscious in 2015.  It's really not that difficult.  It can even be fun and I'd love to show you how!  

To book online or go to the Bodnant Cookery School website, please click here or phone 01492 651100 

Or if you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me

Hope to see you at Bodnant!

Healthy Eating on the Go

If you have a busy lifestyle (and who doesn't these days!) then eating well throughout the day can be a real struggle.  When you're always on the go, out at work or away from home, finding healthy meals and snacks to buy can be a nightmare.  Even so-called healthy products often contain loads of sugar and very little in the way of natural goodness.  If you don't eat meat, eggs or dairy like me, then it is often impossible.  

So I'm delighted to tell you my next course at Bodnant Cookery School on Sunday 14th September is "Healthy Eating on the Go".  It's all about creating your own lunch box with healthy snacks and treats that are good for you and your body!  With a little forward planning, it's possible to produce delicious food to enjoy at any time of the day and be something you'll look forward to tucking into!

  Fast Food - the Natural Way

I've really enjoyed putting together the recipes for this course.  Maybe it's because I've always loved picnics!  There's something special about eating food out of doors in a lovely location so making up a packed lunch to take out on a walk is pretty normal for me.  I certainly don't want to spend hours in the kitchen though so I've got plenty of tips on making things quick and easy - and fun to make!

For me, the most important thing is to use fresh, natural ingredients that my body thrives on but that certainly doesn't mean living on fruit and a salad!  I'll be showing you some completely new ideas I've been working on as well as some of my favourite recipes that are visually appetising, deliciously energising yet require minimal preparation. Wherever you spend your day, I hope you'll never be tempted to buy an unhealthy snack again!

How to book

If you feel inspired to come along, I'd love you to join me for this brand new course.   You can book your place online at the Bodnant website or by ringing 01492 651100.  

The day starts at 11am (10.45am for a welcome drink!) and finishes at 4pm, costs £95 and, as with all my courses, you'll have lots of goodies to take home!

The Cookery School at Bodnant Welsh Foods Centre is a fabulous place with superb facilities and amazing views along the Conwy Estuary.  The courses are always lots of fun and friendly too with a small group and plenty of space to work and relax.  We make all the recipes together so, however much or little experience you have, you'll be able to enjoy the day and hopefully go away with a new confidence and enthusiasm to eat healthily!

Book online here  or phone 01492 651100. 

These are some photos from my last course in July  ...

 

Health on a Plate

 

 

 

 

 Hope to meet you at Bodnant very soon!

Making Healthy Eating Fun for Children

 

Just to let you know that this coming weekend, 16th and 17th August,  I'll be running some short cookery workshops for children.  Bodnant Welsh Foods Centre in the Conwy Valley are holding their annual Children's Food Festival with lots of events happening on both days and I'm really thrilled to be involved this year.

The focus of my 30 minute workshops, which will be in the main courtyard (under cover!) at 12 noon and 2 pm on Saturday and Sunday, is on having fun and being creative with fresh, healthy natural ingredients.   In the morning session at 12, we'll be making a simple tasty idea for lunch whilst at 2 pm, something sweeter and fruitier will be on the menu, even though absolutely no sugar or dairy will be involved!

If you know any children who love trying something new or who already enjoy helping out in the kitchen, then do bring them along.   You'll need to book their place on the workshops as numbers are limited and there will probably be a small charge (£2 I think, but do check!) 

If you just fancy coming along,  the Welsh Foods Centre is a fabulous place for a day out and is in an amazing location along the Conwy Estuary.  The Festival starts at 11 pm on Saturday and Sunday and finishes at 4pm.  Here are all the details. 

And if you are there, do come and say hello!

 

Date and Nut Granola

At a recent Health for Life Club meeting in Llandudno, I asked everyone to eat something they wouldn't normally eat or make something they wouldn’t normally make so we could share our experiences at the next meeting.  The idea was to break out of our normal eating habits and be more creative and adventurous!  

As we were discussing the hidden ingredients in processed foods that day, I decided to make something I'd normally buy as a ready made product. The obvious choice was granola, something I love to eat for breakfast as a cereal or with fruit and natural soya yogurt. I'd made some granola years ago which was okay but I knew I had to come up with something so appetising, I wouldn't be tempted to go back to buying it again!

Granola is traditionally made with oats, nuts and dried fruit and often contains high levels of sugar and honey too.  I found adding extra fruit, such as mashed banana, cooked apple or softened dates, to the oat mixture before baking to a crisp in the oven gave the best results.  Four varieties emerged which I took along to our meeting - Tropical Banana, Apple and Mango, Cranberry and Apricot and Date and Nut. 

Here's the recipe for my Date and Nut Granola which got the vote from our discerning Health for Life Club tasters!   I hope you like it too.   It's great just as it is or with sliced banana, pear or apple, blueberries, raisins or apricots.  Add your favourite soya milk or yogurt or use it as a crunchy topping as I've done below.  The choice is endless so why not be adventurous, create your own variation and make it healthy and delicious!  

Ingredients 

100g dates

100ml cold water

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp date syrup/maple/agave

200g  jumbo whole rolled oats

100g nuts (e.g. cashews, pecans, almonds, brazil nuts)

40g pumpkin or sunflower seeds    

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/Gas Mark 3.

First, chop or cut up the dates with scissors and place in a small saucepan.  Add the water and bring to the boil.  As the mixture bubbles away for a minute or so,  press the dates with the back of a tablespoon until you have a soft puree. (Alternatively, this can be done in the microwave)

Mix together the oil and syrup in a medium sized bowl.

 Stir in the date puree and all the other ingredients. 

Spread out the mixture on a large baking tray.

Bake for 20 minutes, stirring the mixture half way through.      After 20 minutes, stir again and lower the oven temperature to 150C/130C fan/Gas Mark 2.

Bake for another 20 minutes, again stirring halfway. By this time, the mixture should be crisp and golden but, if not, give it another 5 - 10 minutes.   

Leave to cool on the tray, then store in an airtight container.  I like to keep mine in a tall glass jar ready for breakfast and as a crunchy topping with fruit and natural yogurt.

Place any fresh or cooked fruit, such as pears, apples, apricots, plums or blueberries,  in the bottom of a glass dish.  

Spoon over a couple of tablespoons of natural soya yogurt and top with granola.

Making your own granola is easy and tastes so much better than bought.  Why not have a go and let me know how you get on!