South of France Food Diary

A food diary in photos of a week long holiday to the South of France. Beautiful, fresh, delicious food...

Rice Porridge

I have been looking for a new breakfast that I can have that is gluten and refined sugar free, filling, nutritious and something different. Enter Rice Porridge! 
The best thing is with this breakfast is that you prep it the night before (which takes 5 minutes) and it is slow cooked all night so is ready and waiting for you in the morning whenever you are ready! What’s not to love about that!?

The only thing you need for this (apart from the ingredients) is a slow cooker. They are so useful for us busy people that can prepare 6-11 hours before you want it (timings depending on the recipe) and don’t require you standing over a hob for an hour a day.

I love this creamy rice porridge so much, it is basically having healthy rice pudding for breakfast!

Strawberry and Almond Cake

Summer is a perfect time to use the seasonal fruits into baking! This is a great one to make over a summertime weekend for friends and family.

This cake is gluten and refined sugar free! It tastes so good and is light and moist with the added strawberry. It also freezes very well for you to eat in slices whenever you fancy!

Serves 12

Energising Smoothie

I have been experimenting a lot with smoothies and juices at the moment. Differing flavour combinations to keep things interesting!

This smoothie is a great and energy boosting drink that you can drink either for breakfast or after a good workout as it includes Matcha Green Tea powder! You need a good blender if you are going to add the few cashew nuts and if the frozen banana won't break up just leave it at room temperature for 5 minutes to defrost.

There isn't really any need to put instructions to this recipe, other than chuck everything in the machine and blend away! Serve and enjoy :-)

Make Your Own Almond Butter!

Nut butters are one of my favourite foods. Seriously, half a pot could be gone in 24 hours! They are a nutritious, filling and a great addition to many meal.

They are generally quite expensive to buy, especially the organic nut butters that I love to get. So I wanted to create a recipe that you can make easily and efficiently at home that doesn't break the bank! My ultimate favourite nut butter is Almond! So here is my recipe for Almond Butter...

The only thing you need to purchase is almonds! There is two stages to making the almond butter and they can be done on totally different days if you want, the first stage makes the roasted salted almonds (great addition to meals) and then the second stage makes them into the butter we know and love!

Fruit and Nut Protein Flapjacks

I have had a lot of requests from you lovely people for a flapjack that is high in protein, but still clean and healthy. So I can't let you down and here it is! This tastes amazing and could seriously compete (if not beat) the traditional bakery flapjack that is high in sugar and fat. 

With so many different nuts it has the perfect amount of chew in it.

Apple and Cinnamon Cake

Here is another amazingly tasty gluten free and sugar free cake recipe!

Apple and cinnamon is such a good combo (and you know how much I love cinnamon) so I thought a while back it is time to make one that I can enjoy. I have uploaded a photo on Instagram the first time I made this and realised I havent shared the recipe!! Here it is....

Ingredients:

Sweet Beet Raw Juice

This recipe below I fell into by chance with the leftovers from my Green raw juice. This was my added extra experiment juice- but boy does it rank up there with my green juice!

I'm okay to admit that I am not the biggest beetroot fan. I mean I can eat it if it is in small quantities but in this juice I could hardly taste it and it gave the juice an amazing vivid colour that looks so appetising!

Chocolate Quinoa Porridge

If you are like me and a massive chocolate lover then look no further because this is the breakfast for you! 

Quinoa, almond milk and cacao powder- all of these superfoods are included in this breakfast meal which make this such a nutritious and filling way to start the day. High in protein and antioxidants! Read below for recipe...

Makes porridge for 2 people

Healthy Snacks: 5 Quick and Easy Combos

Snacking is actually good for you! Smaller meals throughout the day is actually the ideal way to keep the hunger at bay and keep energy levels high and stable.

Below I have given you 5 ideas for the perfect snack combos for you to try! With no cooking or prior preparation these are perfect for a busy lifestyle that gives you no excuse to grab an unhealthy "fat free" breakfast bar or packet of crisps. Each one has a good protein so will leave you feeling satisfied and curb any sugar craving you may have.

1) Sliced Apple and Almond Butter

2) Avocado, Cherry Tomato and Mozzarella Ball Skewers

Glorious Sunday Brunch Pancake Stack

I had to share with you my favourite stack of my clean protein pancakes that I have made to date! 

Click here for my Delicious Protein Pancakes recipe!

Adding different toppings and flavours really mixes up the taste buds and makes this recipe so versatile!!

For this particular pancake mix I have made them particularly Christmas-y! I have done this by adding different

Raw Protein Balls

These protein balls are amazing. They were one of the first raw clean treats that I made and showed me how delicious a combination of fruits and nuts can be!

The beauty of these raw bites is that they are ready whenever you fancy one, either as a clean treat or even for a quick breakfast if you haven't got time to prepare anything. 

They are kept in the freezer so they will last a good while (that's if you have eaten them all before frozen!) 

Grilled Maple Apple Slices

If you are like me and have a sweet tooth, want a treat but not the refined sugar and fat that is in most confectionary, this is the recipe for you! I am trying to experiment with new recipes that are quick simple with few ingredients.

These are grilled maple apple slices with cashews and are absolutely delicious!! You who what they say an apple a day keep the doctors away well if you insist....

Ingredients:

Supporting Local Produce

Living on the Isle of Wight there is a big community feel about the Island and local produce is no exception! Majority of the island is agriculture which means amazing organic fresh, and more importantly local produce.

There are health benefits shopping for local produce because the chances of pesticides being used in mass produce growing are high and almost certain! The distance the food has travelled I couldn't even guess with supermarket produce, whereas if you source it more locally it has spent a fraction of the time travelling, and therefore you have a longer time period to use the produce. Supporting local businesses is really important too!

 This is why I love buying my fruit and vegetables in local stores not just the big chain supermarkets. Below are a few photos of my local produce shopping recently....

Isle of Wight

Berry Beauty Smoothie

As a smoothie lover I love experimenting with different flavours. This is an updated version of my Banana Protein Smoothie and it really does taste as good as it looks! I call this one the beauty smoothie as it contains amazing superfoods such as berries which contain antioxidants that can improve your health, protect your skin and hair and prevent certain diseases. 

So I say its smoothie time!!!

You can have this smoothie any time- Breakfast, Pre/Post Workout or even if you just fancy something sweet!

Ingredients:

Baked Almond Butter Banana

Gooey, Oozey, melted goodness.... This is the Baked Almond Butter Banana and is such a simple way to have a guilt free treat! This could be a perfect pudding for guests to try or just if you want a special winter warmer! Delish! 

Only 3 ingredients in this heavenly

Healthy Homemade Granola

Often granola we buy from the supermarket are packed with preservatives and a lot of sugar. I wanted to experiment and make a tasty one that has no added refined sugar and is quick to cook. 

Hearty Breakfast Bowl

  This recipe was a pure accident one morning, in my attempt to make breakfast while seemingly still sleeping! Don't be put off by the mixture of cottage cheese and natural yogurt it is so yummy and filling. This is the ingredients I always use but feel free to add any favourite fruits or any that are in season to try something different. 

Here is the recipe.....

Delicious Protein Pancakes

 When I first discovered the recipe for healthy pancakes I was shocked at why people still cook them the unhealthy way.

 As a lover of cottage cheese I was thrilled that this was one of the ingredients. This tasty recipe is a perfect sunday brunch feast that can be switched up and has unlimited topping choices!! Will touch on that later. Here is