Healthy Oaty Choc Chip Banana Bread

Healthy Oaty Choc Chip Banana Bread

I’m a sucker for banana bread. I LOVE it. I have several recipes for different variations, but this is the first flourless one I’ve ever made and I have to say - it might be my favourite. It’s made with Oats instead of flower, making this a filling alternative.

This recipe is super EASY and has only 6 ingredients! It’s also one of those ones where everything gets thrown into a blender, which are always great time savers. This recipe is also bariatric friendly for those 6 months post op (earlier if you are ok with having higher carbs) and low calorie. If you’re watching your protein, add 30g of protein powder to the recipe to up the protein content.

Hot Tip: I do think with this recipe that it is best on day 2 and 3. It holds its shape a little better and the flavours really sink in. It’s mouth wateringly special!!

If you want to try out my Banana Dark Choc Loaf made with coconut and almond flour, check it out HERE.

Full of oaty goodness and sweet choc chips

Oaty Choc Chip Banana Bread

• 2 cups rolled oats

• 3 large bananas

• 2 eggs

• 1/4 cup sugar free maple syrup (or regular)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 cup sugar free or regular choc chips

• Optional - 30g protein powder

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees fan bake

2. Place all ingredients except for chocolate chips into a blender and blend for 20-30 seconds until smooth

3. Mix in chocolate chips

4. Place batter into a loaf tin. I added extra sliced banana on top to make it look pretty!

5. Bake for 35 - 40 mins depending on your oven

Nutritional Info:

10 serves, PER SERVE
153 calories / 5.4g protein / 13.8g carbs / 5.8g fat
with protein powder: 166 calories / 7.8g protein / 14g carbs / 6g fat

Low Carb & Bariatric Friendly Lasagna

Low Carb, Protein Packed & Bariatric Friendly Lasagna

Pretty proud to say yesterday I made one of the best lasagna’s I’ve ever had! This is pretty big considering Lasagne is my favourite food, and I’ve had them a lot. BUT, I normally don’t make at home, seeing as my husband is allergic to dairy. Since having weight loss surgery I don’t eat a lot of pasta, so decided I would make a bariatric friendly version that I could portion out and store in the freezer for when I need an easy meal.

After having a bit of a look online at various ways to make a low carb lasagna, I decided to combine a few things I’d seen and come up with my own version. It’s a bit softer than a regular lasagne, and next time I’ll add another zucchini and wrap layer… but here it is, let me know what you think!

Ingredients

• 2 courgettes, thinly sliced lengthwise

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 800g-1kg ground beef / mince

• 1 small onion

• 1 pack keto / low carb wraps

• 1 Bottle Pasta sauce (I used a herb style one)

• 250g tub ricotta

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

• 1/2 bag baby spinach

• 1 egg

• 2 cups grated edam cheese

Method

1. Fry off onions. Once clear add mince and pasta sauce, let simmer for 10 mins

2. Thinly slice courgette & dab with paper towels to remove excess moisture - set aside

3. Mix ricotta, egg, salt and nutmeg together to make a white sauce, season with salt

4. Cut wraps into smaller pieces to mimic pasta sheets

5. Layer courgette into bottom of baking dish, then add a layer of beef followed by a layer of the ricotta white sauce

6. Arrange wraps on top to cover, then add a layer of spinach, cheese, beef & white sauce

7. Top with cheese then cover with foil.

8. Bake at 180 degrees for 30 mins

9. Bake a further 10 mins with no foil and it will brown up nicely

Apple Crumble Baked Oats

Baked Oats, where have you been all my life. I’ve been making my Blueberry Cheesecake Baked Oats on repeat since sharing the recipe. They were such a hit with you guys, and so naturally I’ve been experimenting with new flavours… and this one takes the cake.

Quite honestly this is like eating apple crumble for breakfast, but with a lot more protein and less sugar. We have so much good stuff going on here - the goodness of oats which are a slow releasing carb, plus banana for potassium, apples and of course protein to help keep you full for longer. Honestly, try it at least once and let me know what you think! Keep in mind these quantities are specifically for meal prep that will last you the week. OR, you can share with your family and get a day or two out of it.

This recipe works out to roughly 30g of protein per serve if you make with the suggested ingredients below.

APPLE PIE Baked OatS

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats (I used Scotch oats)
2 bananas
60g vanilla protein powder
I used NZ protein whey protein, gourmet vanilla
350ml milk of choice
I like calci trim as it’s higher protein than regular milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup frozen diced apple
1 tsp maple syrup
6 TBS high protein yogurt or greek yogurt
1 tsp cinnamon

For the ‘crumble’
3/4 cup oats mixed with 1-2 TBS smooth peanut butter

Method:

1. Mash bananas into bottom of a dish roughly 20 x 30cm (preferably one that has a lid)

2. Add oats, baking powder & protein powder

3. Pour in milk and mix everything together

4. In the microwave, heat your diced apples, maple syrup & cinnamon for 1 min to soften them up.

5. Place spoonfuls of the apples on top of your batter, and then do the same with the yogurt

6. Get a spoon and swirl together the yogurt, apples and yogurt - but don’t fully mix them together. You want it to be only just mixed so you can nice clumpy parts of yogurt and apples

7. Mix together your ‘crumble’ which is just peanut butter and oats, it kind of clumps together. Springle this on top of your oats batter

8. Place in the oven for 40 mins at 180 degrees.

9. Once out of the oven, let cool a little and cut into 6 serves. Pop your lid on and place in the fridge.

To Serve:

1. Take out one serve daily, warm in the microwave and add a little fresh yogurt on top. I also add a drizzle of peanut butter or some raspberries. SO GOOD!

Banoffee Single Serve Cookie Baked Oats

GET IN MY BELLY! If you’re looking for someone quick you can whip up for dessert… or breakfast (I won’t judge) then look no further. This is a baked oats recipe, but not as you know it. It’s done a little differently and the texture is different to my other baked oats recipe due to being blended… think more like a cross between a pancake and a cookie. So yum and feels so decadent yet it’s healthy, made fro oats and full of protein.

Banoffee Single Serve Cookie Baked Oats!

Ingredients

1/2 cup rolled oats (I use the ‘scotch’ oats
1/2 banana
2 TBS Caramel or Salted Caramel protein powder *
1 egg
1/4 cup milk of choice
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp maple syrup
Choc chips (I use sure free, use as many of you like)

Method

1. Blend all of your ingredients together except for the chocolate chips until they are well combined and texture is smooth

2. Pour into an oven safe single serve dish and sprinkle with choc chips

3. Bake for 20mins at around 180 degrees on regular bake, but keep an eye on it. My first experiment resulted in an explosion from having oven too hot!

• I get a really yummy salted caramel protein powder that is whey based from NZ protein. It’s amazing!

Quick & Easy Meal Prep Ideas

Quick & Easy Meal Prep Ideas

I love a bit of a meal prep session on a Sunday. It definitely helps my week go better being that little bit more organised, and the time investment is not that big. I put together a reel of my latest meal prep routine and thought I would share the recipes here in one place, plus I’ve added in one or two more that are go to’s.

Strategy wise - my goal is to always prep:
- One Protein
- Baking for lunchboxes
- One breakfast for the week (for example, either granola or baked oats)
- Some snacks
- if time, chopped veggies

Here’s what that would look like for prep.
________________

Pulled Pork or Beef Brisket

Having a protein in the fridge that will last 2-3 meals is a game changer. Our faves are my pulled pork or brisket as both can be used in a variety of meals that are quick and easy. This week our one Pork Shoulder did 3 meals.

Night 1: Quessidillas done in the toasted sandwich maker (just add cheese)
Night 2: Pulled Pork Subs. I buy some of the long loaves of French or Italian bread from Countdown, add cheese, lettuce and tomato. Bingo! Delicious
Night 3: Pulled Pork with Mashed Potato and Steamed Broccoli. Part of my meal prep this week was freezing some mash (game changer) so we pulled out a serve of that and it just took 5 mins to steam some brocoli

MASHED POTATO

Yep, you heard me right. Freeze some mashed potato! While some of the other things are on, pop on some potatoes. When cooked, drain and completely cool before mashing. Store servings in zip lock bags to store in the freezer.

Blueberry or Raspberry Cheesecake Baked Oats

I can’t tell you how much I love this recipe. It’s a life saver for me, making mornings so much easier. I bake one batch on Sunday and it lasts me until Saturday. GOLD.

Muffins or Cookies

You can’t beat the good old Edmonds Sweet Muffin mix! They are very easy, economical and quick. I add a mashed banana and either blueberries or raspberries to ours and Aiden loves them. Store in the freezer and just get one out when making lunches makes them last longer.

HOME MADE GRANOLA

Home made granola is really easy and really yummy. I have two recipes you can try.

Date, Banana & peanut butter chocolate bites

I make these every week, mainly for me. When I want something sweet, I can grab one from the freezer. They are SO yum!

Lastly, if you have time, chopping up veggies for meals ahead if always a great idea. I even shred our lettuce to save extra time when making salads or sandwiches.

Happy prepping!

Justine

Yummy Chicken, Leek & Potato Pie

Chicken Leek & Potato Pie

This has got to be one of our family favourites over winter. As soon as the leeks come in to season and down in price I start buying them and make this every few weeks, sometimes weekly! It’s one of those wintry, warming meals that makes you feel wholesome and good - comfort food at it’s finest!

This is a recipe I have been making for years, adapting over time… hot tip, if you have bacon, ADD IT! So good.

Enjoy! And let me know what you think.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 leek, trimmed, halved, washed, sliced

• 3-4 medium potatoes, peeled & diced into 1cm cubes

• 1/4 cup plain flour

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced

• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock

• 1 sheet frozen ready-rolled puff pastry

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C.

2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and brown your chicken for 3-4 minutes

3. Add leek & potato, stirring for 3-5 minutes or until leeks have cooked down a little

4. Sprinkle over the flour and stir through to coat for 1 min, then add in your chicken stock.
   Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture comes to the boil. Season to taste.

5. Spoon chicken mixture into a pie dish (I like to use rectangular pirex with a lid so any leftovers can easily be stored). Place the pastry sheet over the filling, pressing the edges to seal and use a fork to poke some air holes.

6. Bake for 25 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden.

Butternut Pumpkin, Kumara & Carrot Soup

Creamy Butternut Pumpkin, Kumara & Carrot Soup

I’m not usually a soup person, but I love this one. I make it a lot during winter and the whole family loves it.

It’s really quick and easy, but the best thing about it is its pretty versatile and forgiving. As long as you have your main starch vegetables in there, you can really add whatever other veggies you have in your fridge that need using. It’s really yum if you add potatoes too. You can also change up the soup mix flavour. The only reason I add soup mix is for the protein and nutrition from the lentils, barley etc,

The other great thing about this is it’s a dairy free creamy soup, which are hard to come by. I love that it’s a smooth and creamy soup, so you do need a stick blender for this recipe.

So here you go!

Ingredients

• 1/2 butternut pumpkin

• 2 carrots, peeled

• 1 medium kumara

• 1 medium onion

• 1 cup soup mix
  (I use a Country style soup mix that is a blend of split peas, barley, lentils & seasoning)

• 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  (I love the little stock pots, works out more cost effective)

• 2 tsp Moroccon seasoning (optional)

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 cup coconut cream

Method

1. Chop all your vegetables and place into large saucepan

2. Make up stock if you’re making from cubes or pots and add to main pot along with soup mix & seasoning

3. Cook on a low temperature for 1 hr minimum. You want all the veggies and lentils, barley etc to be completely soft and falling apart.

4. Once cooked, blend with a stick blender and taste for seasoning.

5. Once mostly blended, add in your coconut cream and mix through

6. Serve with a little bit of extra coconut cream on top and some pumpkin seeds if you’d like some crunch.

Aiden's Epic Berry Protein Shake

I cannot take all the credit for this one. I’ve been making berry smoothies for Aiden for years, but recently he’s been requesting them which has coincided with taking a more active & interested role in his own health & diet. This has all stemmed from being pretty serious about his sport. He’s been learning about the different food types, why protein is important for his muscles and recovery.

So, we have taken his fave berry smoothie and made a few tweaks to up his protein for post workouts or games and the result is SO SO delicious I just had to share with you. It’s extra thick and creamy, the texture is amazing thanks to a few secret ingredients. Don’t miss adding the zucchini to this, as it really adds so much creaminess and you can’t taste it at all.

Berry protein Shake

Ingredients

200ml milk (any kind)
1 small - medium banana, fresh
1/2 cup mixed frozen berries
2-3 pieces of frozen mango
2-3 pieces of frozen zucchini (trust me!)
Small handful cashews
3-4 pieces of ice (don’t overdo it or the shake will end up icy)
2 scoops NZ protein vanilla protein powder

Method

Pop all of your ingredients in a blender and blend for at least 45 seconds and then serve!

Date, Banana & Peanut Butter Chocolate Bites

Here’s a really quick and easy recipe for if you want something sweet in the freezer that requires no baking or blending! Only takes about 10 mins and they are super delicious. It’s super basic, which is why I like it. There are a few renditions you can make, like these Chocolate Dipped Date & Peanut Butter Bites (which omit the banana) but I like having the creaminess of the banana in there. I will say the better quality the dates the better! Medjool are best.

Date, Banana & Peanut Butter Chocolate Bites

Ingredients

1 Banana
Medjool Dates
Peanut Butter
Sugar Free Dark Chocolate

Method:

1. Take your dates and flatten with the back of a spoon to make a base and lay out on some baking paper

2. Once flattened, top with 1/4 tsp of your favourite nut butter (I use smooth peanut butter but crunchy is also good to add in more texture)

3. Slice your banana and place 1 piece on top of the peanut butter. Squish it down a little so it sticks together

4. Take your dark chocolate (I use sugar free) and melt in the microwave in 30 second bursts, then drizzle all over the top of your bites

5. Place in an air tight container in the freezer and take one out whenever you need a sweet treat!

Meal Prep: Blueberry Cheesecake Baked Oats

Ok so we can all thank late night instagram scrolling for this one. Although I saw it, thought I saved the recipe and then didn’t and have struggled to find again and had HALF a screenshot of the recipe, but it’s ok as I just ran with my terrible memory (but also pretty good knowledge of baked oats) and think I nailed it first go. So, credit to the lovely lady with the British accent for the Inspo… and half the recipe 🤦🏻‍♀️

Quite honestly this is like eating cake for breakfast. But it’s HEALTHY cake. We have so much good stuff going on here - the goodness of oats which are a slow releasing carb, plus banana for potassium, blueberries with all their amazing properties and of course protein to help keep you full for longer. Honestly, try it at least once and let me know what you think! Keep in mind these quantities are specifically for meal prep that will last you the week. OR, you can share with your family and get a day or two out of it.

Blueberry Cheesecake Baked OatS

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats (I used Scotch oats)
2 bananas
60g protein powder
I used NZ protein whey protein, gourmet vanilla
420ml calci trim milk
You can sub any milk alternative, I like calci trim as it’s higher in protein than regular milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 tsp maple syrup or honey
6 TBS high protein yogurt or greek yogurt

Method:

1. Mash bananas into bottom of a dish roughly 20 x 30cm (preferably one that has a lid)

2. Add oats, baking powder & protein powder

3. Pour in milk and mix everything together

4. In the microwave, heat your blueberries and maple syrup or honey for 1 min to soften them up.

5. Place spoonfuls of the blueberries on top of your batter, and then do the same with the yogurt

6. Get a spoon and swirl together the yogurt, blueberries and yogurt - but don’t fully mix them together. You want it to be only just mixed so you can nice clumpy parts of yogurt and blueberries

7. Place in the oven for 40 mins at 180 degrees.

8. Once out of the oven, let cool a little and cut into 6 serves. Pop your lid on and place in the fridge.

To Serve:

1. Take out one serve daily, warm in the microwave and add a little fresh yogurt on top. I also add a drizzle of peanut butter. SO GOOD!

Slow Cooked Honey, Butter & Garlic Chicken

This is simply put, the best way to eat chicken. Big claim, I know, but just try it and let me know if you agree. I am also partial to fried chicken, but seeing as I don’t know how to make that and this is much healthier, I’m running with my claims!

This recipe is super easy and the chicken comes out so tender, juicy & full of flavour.
I love big flavour pay offs for not a lot of effort!

The trick here is to you use chicken thigh, so you’re getting more of that dark meat that will go nice and tender. The prep will only take about 10 minutes, which includes making a rub for the chicken, and a butter, garlic, honey & soy sauce that the chicken will cook in. Then the chicken is cooking in the slow cooker for the day and you can get on with your day.

Our favourite way to eat this chicken is kind of shredded / cut up with a side of green veggies, roast potatoes & coleslaw with the extra sauce poured over the top. The coleslaw cuts through the richness which is why a fresh element works so well. You can also keep it whole, but it can be challenging sometimes as it’s so tender it literally falls apart!
Also great however you use your shredded meat. Night two we often use for quesadillas.

Slow Cooked Honey, butter & Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:
4-6 boneless /skinless chicken thighs
(recipe also works with bone in chicken which is often cheaper)

The Sauce:
1/2 cup butter or butter alternative (we use olivani)
1/2 cup runny honey or creamed honey
2 TBS rice wine vinegar
2 TBS soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon mined garlic

The Rub:
1 tsp each smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder & salt
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 TBS oil

Method:

1. Place all sauce ingredients into a pot and heat. Once simmering, take off heat.

2. While the above is heating on the stove, mix all rub ingredients together and rub onto chicken

3. Sear chicken (optional). If you have time & want to lock in those flavours, sear the chicken quickly on high heat for 5 mins. I only do this about half the time I’m making this!

4. Place chicken into slow cooker and pour sauce over the top

5. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs or high for 4hrs

6. When the chicken is finished cooking, I often take out the remaining liquid and reduce on the stove top for about 10 mins to reduce down and thicken up a bit. Just skim off the fat layer first and then serve with he chicken for extra moisture.

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

DROOL! This is the absolute favourite meat dish in our house, with the beef brisket being a close second… which isn’t surprising as it’s virtually the same recipe with a few tweaks. I decided to publish this one separately so that you can find it if you’re looking for a winning Pork dish.

The recipe is a winner in summer or winter, or if you have guests coming over. We love to pop on buns to make burgers with coleslaw and some roast potatoes. It’s also really cost effective and versatile. It lasts us several nights and we use for burgers as mentioned above but also quesadillas and pulled pork pie.

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

I use a 2-2.5kg bone in pork shoulder for this recipe

Incredients for the Rub
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp smoked paprika powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
3/4 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp salt

Ingredients for the BBQ Sauce
2 garlic cloves , minced
1/2 cup / 125 ml apple cider vinegar
1 small jar plain pasta sauce or passata
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp EACH of onion powder, mustard powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Method:

1. Prepare your rub ingredients in a small bowl by mixing together, then rub on the meat. If you have time, leave for 30+ mins to soak in, but I rarely do this.

2. Combine BBQ Sauce ingredients in a slow cooker. Mix then add the pork and squish it in if needed

3. Slow cook for 8-10 hrs on low, or around 5hrs on high if you’re shorter on time. Honestly the longer the better!

4. Once cooked, remove the meat onto a tray or board ready to ‘pull’, just make sure you remove the top layer of fat first, and any bones. To do this, get two forks and just start going at it to rip up the meat.

5. Pour liquid in slow cooker into a saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium high heat and reduce until it thickens to a syrup consistency (it thickens more as it cools). Usually around 10 mins. I often skim off the fat before serving.

6. Your pulled pork is ready to serve and store. Even better the next day for leftovers.

Sticky Date Overnight Weetbix You Have To Try!

Ok, I’ve cracked the code. I have tried quite a few variations of overnight weetbix and this one is HANDS down my favourite one. It is caramely and cinamony and delicious. YUM!
My Banoffee High Protein Overnight Weetbix is also super yum if you’re looking for another version to try - but I have to say this one is my favourite.

You can easily make it high protein by making with high protein almond milk, or calci trim (which is naturally high in protein) plus use high protein yogurt.

Ingredients

• 2 Weetbix crushed

• 1/2 cup milk of choice (I used calci trim)

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 2 tsp maple syrup

• 2 dates, diced

• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (I used high protein yogurt)

Method

1. Mix all ingredients except fo the yogurt together in a bowl & then spread into the bottom of a small container or jar

2. Layer yogurt on top

3. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and weetbix

4. Cover and refrigerate overnight
   
   If you’re making for the family, multiply the ingredients by the number of people and make a slab of it! Place in a baking dish or pyrex to rest overnight.

High Protein Banoffee Overnight Weetbix

Overnight weetbix is all the rage on TikTok, and I’m here for it. Normally the only thing I’d make with weetbix is a chocolate weetbix slice, but this is also a great option… and a much healthier one! I first started having a version of this a few years ago following my gastric bypass surgery as it’s great for puree stage, but this version is a lot better with more textures and flavour. Making it a high protein version will also mean it will keep you full for much longer. I have a few variations I’m working on, but for now enjoy my High Protein Banoffee Overnight Weetbix!

Ingredients:

• 2 Weetbix​ crushed

• 1/2 Cup So Good High Protein Almond Milk

• 1/2 cup high protein vanilla yogurt

• 1/2 small banana

• Chopped nuts

• Smooth peanut butter or create your own peanut butter drizzle by mixing peanut butter with Maple Syrup to sweeten it up, and a little bit of hot water.

Method:

1. Crush your weetbix and mix with almond milk, spread into the bottom of a small container or jar

2. Put a layer of slice banana on top, and then some peanut butter drizzle & yogurt

3. Drizzle a little peanut butter and chopped peanuts, and some crushed weetbix if you’d like some extra crunch on top

4. Cover and refrigerate overnight
   
   If you’re making for the family, multiply the ingredients by the number of people and make a slab of it! Place in a baking dish or pyrex to rest overnight.
   
   
   

Best Beef Brisket Recipe Ever!

It’s about time I started sharing my slow cooker recipes, because they are staples in our house that we live on year round. This recipe is so amazing that my 13yr old son has dubbed it his favourite dinner. I originally found the recipe on a website called RecipeTinEats. Her original recipe has a few more steps than me, because I’m all about simplification. The ingredients are much the same though (although I lowered the sugar), so credit to her for this deliciousness!
She likes to add a few steps at the end which includes grilling & glazing the the finished beef in the oven a few times, but I find it’s delicious without those extra steps. The one step I wouldn’t miss at the end is taking out the liquid to make a sauce. The sauce is liquid gold, we like to pour it over the meat at the end (even though it’s already succulent) and on our vegetables… really anything in sight, it’s that good.

The recipe is a winner in summer or winter, or if you have guests coming over. We love to pop on buns to make burgers with coleslaw and some roast potatoes. So good!

The other great thing about this recipe is that beef brisket is a reasonable cut of meat, it’s not expensive, just takes slow cooking to make it good.

So here we go, enjoy!

Best Beef Brisket Recipe Ever!

Incredients for the Rub
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp smoked paprika powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
3/4 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp salt

Ingredients for the BBQ Sauce
2 garlic cloves , minced
1/2 cup / 125 ml apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups / 375 ml ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp EACH black pepper, onion powder, mustard powder
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Alternate: If I don’t have tomato sauce I actually just use pasta sauce. It turns out just as good and actually lowers the sugar content as well.

Method:

1. Prepare your rub ingredients in a small bowl by mixing together, then rub on the meat. If you have time, leave for 30+ mins to soak in, but I rarely do this.

2. Combine BBQ Sauce ingredients in a slow cooker. Mix then add the brisket and squish it in if needed

3. Slow cook for 8-10 hrs on low, or around 5hrs on high if you’re shorter on time. Just keep an eye on it as the sauce can start to burn if you leave it in too long

4. Once cooked, remove the meat onto a tray or board ready to slice. If you’re wanting more of a ‘pulled’ brisket, I would just get two forks and break up the meat that way

5. Pour liquid in slow cooker into a saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium high heat and reduce until it thickens to a syrup consistency (it thickens more as it cools). Usually around 10 mins. I often skim off the fat before serving.

6. Your brisket is ready to serve and store. Even better the next day for leftovers.

Banana & Peanut Butter Protein Bircher

A few months ago I discovered a delicious bircher recipe from Two Raw Sisters. It’s very similar to the overnight oats recipes I have here on my website already, but I decided to give it a go for something new and loved it! In my opinion, it’s the raisins /cranberries and spices that make it. Because I have very specific protein goals, I’ve made a few tweaks to their recipe and wanted to share because it’s been a hit in our household.

I like to make up a double batch so that breakfast is sorted for 2 days running, and it’s just one less thing to think about in the morning. The below serving is for 1, just double it for 2 people or quadruple to make breaky for 2, for 2 mornings. You get the idea. If you don’t have protein powder, don’t stress, it will work just fine without, I just like to add more protein to breakfast to make me full for longer.

You can totally eat on it’s own as it’s super yummy as is, but I like to add some yogurt for extra creaminess, fresh banana and maybe a little PB or berries for some tang.

Protein Tips: I use the Vanilla protein powder from NZ Protein, it’s a whey based protein and is non grainy and delicious. The other option I always have is tasteless protein from Feel Good Protein which is a collagen base. To up the protein I use calci trim milk (as it’s higher than standard milk), but you can sub for a DF alternative or whatever milk is your fave. The peanut butter is also going to add some protein in there for you.

Serves 1

Banana & Peanut Butter Protein Bircher

Ingredients
1/2 cup oats (I used Scotch Oats)
3/4 cup calci trim milk
1 TBSP chia seeds
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 banana mashed
1 TBSP peanut butter
1 TBSP vanilla protein powder
handful raisins for cranberries

Method

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, cover and pop in the fridge to thicken overnight. Top with your fave toppings or eat as is.

If you’re wanting something warmer for winter, try my Scottish Porridge or Baked Oats.

Mums Meatloaf

Meatloaf is one of my favourite dinners. It takes me back to being a kid on the farm when my Mum would make it. So yummy and comforting. This is my Mum’s old recipe that she’s been making for years, and now so have I!

The great thing about this recipe is it’s also super versatile, just use whatever veggies you have on hand. The other hack is to make mini meatloaves and freeze. Either make in muffin tins and top with bacon, or shape into a cylinder shape and wrap in bacon to cook, and then pop in the freezer and pull them out when needed.

Enjoy!

Meatloaf

Ingredients

500g beef mince
* or combine 250g lamb & 250g pork for different taste
1 onion – finely chopped
2 carrots – grated
1 Zucchini – grated
½ Red Capsicum – finely chopped
¾ cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbs BBQ Sauce
2 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp garlic
Mixed herbs
Salt & Pepper to taste

Note: This meatloaf recipe is quite moist.  To make firm / easy to slice meatloaf, add more breadcrumbs and remove 2nd egg.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a 9cm x 19cm loaf pan with non-stick baking paper.

2. Use clean hands to combine mince, onion, carrot, zucchini, capsicum, breadcrumbs, herbs, egg, BBQ Sauce and garlic.  Add salt & pepper to taste.

3. Press the mixture into the loaf pan and smooth the surface. Brush on a thin layer of BBQ sauce.  Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.

4. Remove the foil and bake for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when pierced with a skewer. Drain off the liquid. Rest in the pan for 5 minutes before serving.

Choc Banana Protein Shake

ohhhhh what to say. I love chocolate, and I love banana. I recently had an epic choc banana protein shake out and decided to recreate at home. It has become one of my fave go to's!

You can use vanilla protein or chocolate. I don't have chocolate in the house, so I use cacao to create the chocolately goodness.   If not thick enough, add more ice and get it tasting super creamy and just like a chocolate thickshake!

Enjoy!

Choc Banana Protein Shake

1 cup almond milk
1 cup ice
1 banana
2 TBS vanilla protein powder
1.5 TBS cacao powder
1 TBS chia seeds
1 tsp maple syrup

Blend until completely smooth & top with some coconut shavings and cacao nibs for some crunch.