Today I’m sharing with you my go-to post-workout protein pancakes. They’re simple to whip up and wonderfully nourishing, whether you’ve had an intense workout or simply rolled out of bed! It’s always a good time to have pancakes, any day of the week or time of day!
Continue reading “Protein Pancakes with Matcha White Chocolate Sauce”
Baking with yeast is one of my absolute favorite things to do in the kitchen, for the simple reason that it’s so rewarding. Taking that extra bit of time (the rising!) and effort (the kneading!) is well worth it in my opinion, when you consider that sense of accomplishment of seeing your dough rise, and the delight of that first doughy bite.
Today I’m sharing a recipe with you for super soft swirl buns with a sweet cacao-date filling. They’re perfect for brunch or a snack – eaten as they are or with some nut butter on top! Hope you enjoy! {brand collaboration with Iswari}
Continue reading “Fluffy Cacao & Date Swirls”
It’s my first weekend in my new place and of course I couldn’t wait to test out my new oven.
As part of a collaboration with health food company Iswari (if you’re not in Switzerland, check them out here) I’ve been trying some more tasty products, one of which inspired me to make these delicious and nutritious breakfast bars.
Continue reading “Banana Breakfast Bars”
Rarely does it happen that a bake turns out exactly as I visualized in my head, but this is one of those wonderful times. While trying to fall asleep the other night I was dreaming up recipes to use up some leftover pumpkin, and I’m absolutely delighted with how these little loaves turned out this morning. Soft, moist, sweet and so satisfying – with richness from the peanut butter and bittersweet bursts of dark chocolate.
Continue reading “Pumpkin PB Chocolate Chip Mini Loaves”
Good morning and happy Saturday!
As some of you know, I started my first post-graduation job this January. After all these years of studying, it’s been an exciting change and I’ve been enjoying finally feeling like a working member of society! As anticipated, it obviously also radically changed my lifestyle – no more “insta-worthy” pancake stacks for breakfast, working in my pjs all morning, trying out new cafes in the afternoon, going to the gym anytime I want, etc.
This past month I’ve been getting up at 5.30 am, leaving the house in the dark, getting back home in the dark, having some dinner and going to bed between 9.30/10 pm. Definitely less time to do some of the things I love, and certainly no longer the luxurious option of being able to cook my meals throughout the day. To make my life a bit easier, I knew the time had come to finally delve into the practice of meal prep.
It’s early days, but I thought I’d share with you some of my meal prep routine so far.
SUNDAY MEAL PREP
This is the more “serious” meal prep, when I can make lots of different elements if I want to. So far my strategy has been to:
1. Cook a grain (like quinoa or millet) and
2. Throw some random veggies in the oven to roast. Then I combine these elements in my trusty tupperware and:
3. add a dollop of hummus, mashed avocado, etc., on the day, to switch things up.
During the week I miss having more time and energy to spend in the kitchen, so I try get a proper cooking session in on the weekend – especially on Sunday. By Friday/Saturday I generally have an idea of what this will be, so I have everything I need on Sunday.
Meal Prep #1: To illustrate, my first serious Sunday meal prep involved cooking a batch of millet, while oven-roasting chopped sweet potato, pumpkin, plantain, carrots and turmeric-ginger cauliflower. I also quickly heated up some frozen peas (by simply adding boiling water from the kettle), which I added to the tupperware. At work, one of my colleagues offered me some of her gloriously pink beetroot hummus, which was the perfect addition. I now tend to have a tub in the fridge, to add some to my prepped meals. (No time to make my own hummus on a regular basis anymore…)
You can make this as simple or complex as you like – simply roasting up a batch of sweet potato and cauliflower and adding some hummus and fresh greens, or making more elements on the stove, like a curry. Last Sunday I went all out, also making a yellow lentil, pumpkin & kale dhal, flower sprout chips and quinoa, to combine with my oven-roasted goodies, beetroot hummus and avocado.
(This is how I served it up on Sunday – the copious leftovers I transferred to tupperware, and I still had some servings of dhal I could freeze).
SIMPLE WEEKDAY PREP
You probably can make enough on a Sunday to last you all week. I don’t like keeping leftovers in the fridge for too long, though, and my freezer space is quite limited. Instead, I end up doing another meal prep during the week. Difference to the Sunday one? It only takes about 15 minutes. Here are my favorites:
Meal Prep #2: Turmeric & Ginger Quinoa (an old staple) with carrots and peas. Minimal chopping, everything in one pot, no fuss. I like to stir through some coconut oil or olive oil at the end. Depending on what I have around, I add on to this or switch it up, e.g. adding flower sprouts a few minutes before the quinoa has cooked, or some hummus, leftover roasted veg etc.
Meal Prep #3: Mediterranean Pasta – I add wholemeal spelt pasta (usually I make two – large – servings) and 1 head of chopped broccoli into a pan of boiling, salted water and cook for about 5-6 minutes. While this is cooking I chop 1 zucchini, 1 small aubergine and several sundried tomatoes (the kind in olive oil with herbs). When the broccoli pasta is done, I transfer it to a colander, then heat up one clove of crushed garlic in some of the olive oil from the jar of tomatoes. I add the diced veg and cook for a few minutes, adding salt. Once they’re soft I add the pasta into the pan, to mix all the flavors and also season with some mixed Italian herbs and maybe some smokey paprika.
Meal Prep #4: Tahini Tomato Pasta – another old staple I often used to have as a simple post-workout meal. Basically you cook pasta with veggies of your choice and stir in tahini, tomato paste, some olive oil (and smokey paprika and/or cayenne pepper for some heat).
DESSERT/SNACK PREP
We can’t forget dessert can we? My favorite sweet treat to prepare has been my double chocolate cookies (pictured in the first photo). They are so quick to prepare (you can even have them raw if you’re really low on time) and full of nourishing ingredients. My only problem has been that I eat a lot of them on Sundays already, and don’t have enough left to last me through the week. For more healthy sweet treat ideas check out my breakfast cookies (for breakfast on-the-go or dessert – you can always add a bit of maple syrup if you prefer them even sweeter), fudgy feel-good squares (pictured below), chocolate-covered pitaya and PB&J energy balls.
These options may not be quite as glamorous as the quinoa-sushi-burritos or soba noodle salads with peanut sauce and coriander I pictured myself making, after watching YouTube videos on vegan meal prep – but they’ve been working for me, keeping me nourished throughout the day without taking up too much of my time. I’m sure I’ll be adding on to this as I play around with more options.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading, and please let me know about your meal prep routine if you have one!
Happy weekend!
I’m back with another simple, speedy and satisfying recipe – this time for delicious and nutritious chocolate date cookies. These came about last Saturday morning, when I realized I had just over one hour left to shower, get ready and prepare a dessert to bring along to my boyfriend’s.
Often when I bring food along, I tend to go with a tried and tested recipe, or something new that I’ve carefully thought out. Last week, however, I quite enjoyed chucking ingredients into a blender, fuelled by adrenalin and an optimistic sense that, somehow, this would not be a disaster. The cookies I ended up definitely exceeded my expectations, and got great feedback at the event I made them for.
Continue reading “Chocolate Date Cookies”
I’m back with another recipe – just in time for Christmas, in case you still have some festive baking to do.
Gingerbread cookies are probably my favorite festive bake, as they’re just so much fun to make and decorate (especially while singing along to Christmas songs). Last year I was too busy trying to keep up with the demand for mince pies to make any other bakes. This year, however, I went straight in for my first ever plant-based gingerbread men. I made a batch yesterday and another today – slightly sweeter in taste and thinner and crispier in texture – which I am very happy with (as highlighted by the undisclosed amount I have already eaten).
Continue reading “Gingerbread Cookies”
What on earth is a Grittibänz?! you may rightly be wondering. My fellow Swiss will know these little bread men as a traditional treat we eat on 6 December, Saint Nicholas Day, along with clementines and chocolates.
Baking being something I’ve always loved, I started making them myself a few years ago, each time searching for an ever better recipe and the “right” technique to get soft and fluffy little men (and women).
As I was still in London this time last year, this is the first time since going plant-based that I have made Grittibänz and – I really mean it – these vegan ones are the best I’ve ever made! Of course I want to share this recipe with you. Not only for all the Swiss who make these each year, but for anyone wanting a piece of Swiss culture or just a good recipe for vegan enriched bread dough. You obviously don’t have to form little people out of this dough, but can make rolls, form a plat (we call this a Zopf or Züpfe) or make whatever you want and eat it all year round.
Continue reading “Vegan Grittibänz”
Chilly weather, cloudy days and early darkness all feed the desire for something warm and comforting, like a cup of tea. Or better yet: A cup of tea with a delicious (mini) pie!
These little pies are such a tasty treat, perfect in the afternoon with a cup of tea or coffee or maybe even a hot chocolate. They’re also packed with wholesome ingredients that make them a nourishing indulgence and a steady source of energy.
Continue reading “Pumpkin Pies with Cacao Pecan Crust”
It’s time to share with you another guest recipe – one that I can’t believe I’ve lived this long without: Vegan French Toast! This is something I didn’t think I would be eating after going plant-based, and it completely slipped off my foodie radar. Until, that is, I discovered Bianca Zapatka’s blog full of beautiful, mouthwatering recipes, including an irresistibly simple and incredibly delicious version of French Toast, using ingredients you probably have on hand.
Continue reading “Vegan Banana Coconut French Toast by Bianca Zapatka”
Blueberrysmiles 