Life Natural Uk

Peach, ginger and blueberry overnight oats
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Ingredients

200g whole rolled oats
200g low-fat natural yogurt
170ml hazelnut (or almond) milk
1 ball stem ginger from a 350g jar, finely chopped, plus 1½ tbsp syrup
410g tin sliced peaches in light syrup, drained and roughly chopped
150g pack blueberries (halve some of them, if you like)
4 tsp roasted chopped hazelnuts

Preparing your oats the night before lets you start the day with an easy morning. These creamy oats combine fresh fruit, crunchy hazelnuts and warming stem ginger for a super-quick tasty breakfast.

In a bowl, mix the oats, yogurt, milk, stem ginger and syrup until well combined. Divide the mixture between 4 bowls (or sealable jars if taking to work), then top with the peaches and blueberries. Cover and chill in the fridge overnight.
The next day, remove from the fridge and scatter 1 tsp hazelnuts over each to serve. The oats will keep in the fridge, without the fruit and nuts, for up to 3 days.
Flavour twist: For a chocolate version, swap the ginger for ½ tbsp cocoa powder. Substitute the hazelnuts with 1 square of dark chocolate, finely grated over the top, to serve.

Tip: Use whole rolled oats as they have a lovely creamy texture; instant or flaked oats are smaller and will break down too much.

Easy Fluffy Pancakes from Scratch
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Pancake Ingredients
We love simple, no-fail recipes and this pancake recipe is just that. It’s quick to make, and we’re willing to bet you’ve got everything you need to make them right now. We call for eggs in this recipe. If you are looking for egg-free pancakes, here is our recipe for vegan pancakes. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you will need (the full recipe with ingredient amounts is shared in the recipe below).

Flour: Use all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or a combination of the two. For gluten-free pancakes, use your favorite gluten-free flour blend or try buckwheat flour. Here is our buckwheat pancake recipe for reference.

Sugar: We use granulated sugar, but other sugars like coconut sugar, raw sugar, or brown sugar will work in the recipe.

Baking Powder: It is the baking powder that makes these pancakes light and fluffy. If you’d like to make pancakes without baking powder, I have shared tips for using baking soda in the frequently asked questions below.

Salt: We like to use 1/2 teaspoon of fine salt. It balances the sugar nicely and brings out lots of flavor in the pancakes. If you are using salted butter, consider reducing the salt to 1/4 teaspoon.

Milk: Whole milk, reduced-fat, and even skim milk will work in this recipe. For dairy-free pancakes, substitute non-dairy milk (like unsweetened almond milk or homemade oat milk). I’ve also used orange juice in place of the milk before and it worked nicely. If you’d like to use buttermilk, take a look at our recipe for Buttermilk Pancakes.

Melted Butter: You can’t beat the taste of butter for this, but if you need a plant-based option, melted coconut oil or melted plant-based butter work, too. We use unsalted butter, but salted butter will work as a substitute. If you do use salted butter, reduce the amount of salt by 1/4 teaspoon.

One Egg: The egg adds structure, flavor, and fluffiness. I’ve shared tips in the frequently asked questions below for making pancakes without eggs. We use a flax egg. You might also enjoy our recipe for vegan pancakes.

Vanilla Extract: Vanilla adds sweetness and depth of flavor. You could try other extracts, too. Almond extract would be pretty delicious.

We have lots of pancake recipes on the blog. If you love blueberries, you must take a look at this recipe and if you like to swap regular flour for whole wheat, try these fluffy whole wheat pancakes. We have also recently added a vegan pancake recipe to the blog, which we both love!

Our Step-by-Step Method for the Fluffiest Pancakes
These simple pancakes come together fast! They are perfect for kids (if you scroll through the reviews so many our of readers makes these with their kids and sometimes the kids even make them!) To make them follow these easy steps:

Healthy-ish Carrot Cake
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INGREDIENTS
1 &1/2 cup All Purpose Flour (or almond flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup dried raisins
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon all-spice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 eggs
1 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 cup walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting
2 packs cream cheese ( you can use a vegan cream cheese as well)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon vanila bean seeds ( or 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vanilla extract)
carrot cake
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat Oven 350 degrees.
In a medium size bowl, cream the sugar, coconut milk and coconut oil.
Then add the eggs one at a time and whisk well.
Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, mix the shredded carrots, raisins, walnuts and coconut shreds.
Fold in the carrot mixture until fully incorporated into the batter.
Line a two 4 inch or 6 inch baking pan with parchment and evenly distribute the batter between the two pans.
Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Then add the heavy cream and vanilla and mix until creamy and the frosting has thickened. Of course, taste along the way and add additional powdered sugar if you prefer it sweeter.
Allow the cake to fully cool on a wire rack before frosting.
Toast 1/2 cup of walnuts and 1/2 cup almonds and decorate the nuts all over the sides of the cake! Enjoy a slice of this incredible delicious healthy-ish carrot cake!

HAVE YOUR CARROT CAKE AND EAT IT
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INGREDIENTS

For the cake

½ banana
½ scoop vanilla protein powder
1 cup almond flour
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup shredded carrots
1 tbsp crushed walnuts
2 tsp baking soda
4 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup raw honey

For the icing

¼ cup low-fat cream cheese​
¼ cup raw honey
2 tsp stevia sweetener
2 tsp vanilla extract Remove featured image
2 tsp almond milk

METHOD

Mix the ingredients together in a blender
Bake in a non-stick pan at 400°F for 35-40 minutes, until it’s golden brown on top
Whilst you let it cool, mix together the icing ingredients in a bowl and get to decorating!

This next recipe isn’t quite refined sugar-free, but its macros are just as impressive. ROSS EDGLEY’S MINI PLANT-BASED JAMMY DODGER PROTEIN CHEESECAKES are a treat for the tastebuds and vegan-friendly too.

This peach and pancetta salad is the ultimate Christmas side.
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METHOD

1.Place a large saucepan, three-quarters full of water, over high heat. Bring to the boil and stir in lentils and bay leaves. Return to the boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15-20 minutes until lentils are just tender. Strain and run under cold water, then set aside to cool in a large bowl.

2.Place pancetta and 1 tbs olive oil in a large non-stick frypan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for 14-15 minutes until fat has rendered and pancetta is crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3.Return pan to medium heat and add eschalot, garlic, chilli and thyme. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until eschalot is softened. Transfer to the bowl with the lentils, add red wine vinegar, remaining 85ml olive oil and season. Arrange lentil mixture on a serving platter and top with pancetta, peach, rocket and herbs.

4.Crumble over goat’s cheese to serve.

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INGREDIENTS
200g green lentils
2 bay leaves
200g flat pancetta, cut into 1.5cm-thick lardons
1/2 cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 eschalot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Pinch of chilli flakes
2 thyme sprigs
1/4 cup (60ml) red wine vinegar
4 small peaches, seeds removed, cut into wedges
1 bunch rocket, leaves picked
1/2 cup loosely packed mint
1/2 cup loosely packed parsley
1/2 cup loosely packed basil
Crumbled goat’s cheese, to serve

Tofu scramble with shredded cabbage and chilli sambal
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METHOD

1.For the chilli sambal, mix the chillies, garlic, galangal, ginger and eschalot to a paste in a small food processor or mortar and pestle. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the paste for 5-8 minutes until dark red and fragrant. Add the chilli flakes and palm sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the tamarind paste and tamari and cook for a further 2-5 minutes until the sauce is thick. Remove from the heat, add the lime juice and leave to cool. This can be stored in the fridge for up to a month.

2.To make the tofu scramble, heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the garlic and ginger for 1 minute, then add the spring onions, curry powder, turmeric and coriander and fry, stirring, for a further minute. Crumble in the silken tofu and stir to coat in the spice mixture – the tofu will look like scrambled eggs.

3.Toss together the cabbage, cucumber and herbs with the lime juice and a good splash of olive oil. Season well.

4.Toast the bread under a hot grill until golden. Top each slice of toast with tofu and add a handful of cabbage, cucumber and herbs. Sprinkle with crispy shallots and serve with a generous spoonful of chilli sambal.
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INGREDIENTS

2 tbs light-flavoured oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2.5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp each curry powder, ground turmeric & ground coriander
560g silken tofu, drained
CHILLI SAMBAL
5 red chillies, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2.5cm piece galangal, peeled and roughly chopped
2.5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large eschalot, roughly chopped
3 tbs light-flavoured oil
1 tbs chilli flakes
60g palm sugar, crumbled or grated
2 tsp tamarind paste
1 tbs tamari
Juice of 1/2 lime
TO SERVE
1/4 firm white cabbage, shredded
1 medium cucumber, peeled into ribbons
1/2 cup each loosely packed mint & coriander leaves
Juice of 1 lime
Olive oil
4 slices sourdough bread
1/3 cup crispy shallots

Silverbeet fatteh with sumac yoghurt and chickpeas.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups (400g) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
3 large pieces Lebanese bread, cut into 4 large triangles
1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
1/2 bunch silverbeet, stalks removed
1 cup each mint leaves & flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup (80g) toasted pine nuts
200g good-quality, hot smoked trout or salmon, flaked
YOGHURT DRESSING (MAKES APPROX. 295G)
1 cup (280g) natural yoghurt
1 tbs za’atar, plus extra to sprinkle
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 1/2 tsp sumac
Juice of 1/2 lemon
POMEGRANATE DRESSING (MAKES APPROX. 125ML)
2 tbs pomegranate molasses
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

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METHOD

1.Place chickpeas in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat, reduce to medium and simmer for 40-45 minutes until cooked. Keep warm.

2.Preheat oven to 180°C. Place Lebanese bread on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with extra za’atar. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden and crisp.

3.For the yoghurt dressing, place yoghurt, za’atar, garlic, sumac and lemon in a bowl. Season to taste and mix to combine.

4.For the pomegranate dressing, place all the ingredients in a bowl, season to taste and stir to combine.

5.Preheat a chargrill pan or barbecue to high. Drizzle silverbeet with extra oil, season and chargrill for 4-5 minutes until wilted and a little charred. Roughly chop and place in a bowl with chickpeas and herbs. Drizzle over pomegranate dressing, season and toss to combine.

6.Place pita on a serving plate, spoon over yoghurt dressing and layer with silverbeet salad. Scatter over pine nuts and smoked trout to serve.

Move over 2-minute noodles, this beef and udon dish will make your evening.

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METHOD

1.Place the skirt steak on a large oven tray, season with salt flakes and drizzle with the sesame oil. Leave steak to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or until the fridge chill has gone.

2.Cook the udon noodles according to packet instructions, reserving 1 cup (250ml) of noodle water.

3.Heat a lightly greased barbecue or chargrill pan over high heat. Grill the steak for 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked to your liking. Remove from the heat and rest, loosely covered with foil, for 10-12 minutes.

4.Meanwhile, heat half the butter in a large non-stick frypan over medium-high heat. Add the mushroom and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside. Add the gochujang and tomato sauce to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes until the gochujang is lightly caramelised. Add the noodle water and bring to a simmer, cooking for 2-3 minutes until the liquid is slightly reduced.

5.Add the noodles, spinach and remaining butter, and stir until spinach is wilted and noodles are coated in the sauce.

6.Divide noodles among serving plates, top with sliced steak, broccolini, mushroom and nori. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE THESE BREAKFAST COOKIES

1) Quick Cooking Oats: you may use rolled oats but we do prefer quick oats for this recipe.

2) Bananas: use spotted and ripe bananas to give a naturally sweet flavor to the cookies.

3) Almond Butter: if you don’t have almond butter you may use any other nut butter.

4) Honey or Maple Syrup: or may use any other sugar-substitute like agave.

5) Cinnamon: this adds in a delicious warm fall flavor.

6) Cranberries: If you don’t like cranberries, use raisins.

7) White Chocolate Chips: white chocolate works well with cranberries but you may use dark chocolate chips.

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HOW TO MAKE THESE OATMEAL BREAKFAST COOKIES

* Make your cookie dough – Place your dough ingredients in a bowl and stir thoroughly. Then mix in the cranberries

* Make your cookies – Drop 2 tablespoon amounts of the dough onto a sheet pan that’s been lined with parchment paper, then press down the mounds into flat cookies shapes.

* Bake – Place in a preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until centers are set and edges are light brown.

* Make the chocolate drizzle – Heat the white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second increments until melted. Drizzle over the tops of the cookies.

* Serve and enjoy!

Kiwi-Granola Fit Breakfast Banana
We take a classic dessert and put a breakfast-friendly spin on it by swapping in yogurt for ice cream. The thicker consistency of the strained yogurt (e.g., Greek-style or skyr) helps it hold its shape and mimic scoops of ice cream. Plus, it has more protein for staying power than regular yogurt. Lots of seeds and nuts are a nice textural counterpoint to the soft banana.

¼ cup almond butter
1 tablespoon cacao powder
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, divided
¼ cup heavy cream
4 ripe bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise
1 cup low-fat coconut strained yogurt
1 cup low-fat cherry strained yogurt
½ cup diced kiwi
4 tablespoons granola
1 tablespoon shelled unsalted roasted pistachios
1 tablespoon unsalted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 teaspoon chia seeds

Directions Instructions Checklist

Step 1
Whisk almond butter, cacao powder, water and 1 tablespoon maple syrup in a small bowl until smooth.

Step 2
Whisk cream and the remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup in a small bowl until soft peaks form.

Step 3
Arrange 2 banana halves on each of 4 plates. Use an ice-cream scoop to divide coconut and cherry yogurt among the bananas. Drizzle the almond sauce over the yogurt. Divide kiwi, granola, pistachios, pepitas, chia and flaxseed among the banana splits. Top with the whipped cream.

Passion Fruit Cake

Ingredients
Cake:
2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (295 g)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup unsalted butter (170 g)
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (250 g)
3 large eggs, room temp
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
⅓ cup sour cream (75 g)
⅔ cup whole milk (150 g)
⅔ cup homemade passion fruit curd, or store-bought*
Passion Fruit Syrup:
2 Tbsp strained passion fruit pulp or passion fruit puree
1 Tbsp simple syrup *
Swiss Buttercream:
¾ cup egg whites (210 g), about 6 large eggs
1 ½ cup granulated sugar (300 g)
2 cup unsalted butter (452 g), sliced into tablespoons, softened
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Instructions

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans and line bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using an electric hand mixer), cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and mix on medium speed until well incorporated. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix until combined. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing.
Add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with milk. Begin and finish with flour mixture. Mix until just combined and there are no longer any dry streaks of flour.*
Divide batter evenly among the three prepared cake pans. Level batter using a mini offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for 28-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool cakes in pan for 5 minutes. Then, run a mini offset spatula around the cake and unmold. Cool cake to room temperature on wire rack.
Passion Fruit Syrup:
Mix together passion fruit pulp and simple syrup. Set aside until ready to use.
Swiss Buttercream:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together egg whites and sugar. Place over a pot of simmering water to create a bain-marie or double boiler. Make sure the simmering water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Whisk mixture until it reaches a temperature of 160°F.
*Alternatively, if you don't have a thermometer, heat the mixture until all the sugar has melted. Test this by dipping your pointer finger into the mixture and rubbing it against your thumb. The mixture should feel smooth. You should not be able to feel the granules of sugar.
Return bowl to stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat mixture at medium speed until it has cooled to room temperature (about 75-80°F) and meringue has started to form.
Reduce to low speed. Add butter one tablespoon at a time. Add salt. Increase speed to medium-high and continue to beat until buttercream is light and fluffy.
Assembly:
Fit a piping bag (decorating bag) with a small round tip (wilton #12). Fill bag with about ½ cup of buttercream. Set aside.
Level cake layers as necessary. Place one cake layer on serving platter or cake turntable. Brush or drizzle passion fruit syrup over cake. Spread a thin layer of buttercream (about 6 Tbsp) over cake layer using a small offset spatula.
Use the filled piping bag, pipe a double border of buttercream along the perimeter of cake round. This will serve as barrier when curd is added.
Add ⅓ cup of passion fruit curd to center of cake. Spread to fill within the buttercream boundaries. Place second cake layer on top. Repeat soaking cake, adding buttercream, and curd.
Place final third layer on top. Soak cake layer with syrup. Spread buttercream all around the cake to create a "crumb coat" layer to seal in any crumbs. Chill cake in the fridge for 20 minutes to set frosting.
If desired, coat chilled cake with additional buttercream. Use a small leaf piping tip (wilton #352) to pipe decorative border on top of cake.
Keep cake chilled until ready to serve. Rest cake at room temperature for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving to soften buttercream frosting.

Notes
Ingredient Notes:
Homemade passion fruit curd is easy to make. However, if you prefer store bought passion fruit curd, I recommend these brands: Rare Bird Preserves, Tutu’s Pantry, and Tiptree.
Fresh passion fruit is available year round. If you cannot find any in stores, I recommend purchasing them from Rincon Tropics.
Mixing Notes:
Be careful not to overmix cake once flour as been added. Overmixing will lead to a tough cake.
6 inch cake pans: Recipe may be baked in three 6-inch round cake pans, as well. Increase baking time by 5-8 minutes to accommodate for the thicker cake layer.
To make simple syrup: Bring to a boil equal parts water and sugar. Heat until sugar has melted. Cool. Keep chilled in the fridge for up to a month.

What Is an Acai Bowl?
An acai bowl is essentially a thick smoothie made from acai puree and served in a bowl with ALL the toppings.

There are a ton of different varieties and types of acai bowls and they are served with a variety of toppings. Go check out acai bowl menus for some ideas!

What You’ll Love About Acai Bowls
Super yummy!
A fun way to eat smoothies
Endless customizations
Nutritious and light breakfast or snack
Just 5 minutes total time
Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan-friendly
Acai Bowl Ingredients
While you can find acai bowls with ALL sorts of crazy ingredients (spirulina or bee pollen anyone?), you can also keep it really basic like we’ve done here:

Acai packets – Look for the frozen acai puree packets. You will find them in the frozen fruit section of your store. The Sambazon brand is a popular and high-quality choice. You can also find the pouches of acai puree at Trader Joe’s and Costco.

Banana – This is a classic addition, so I’ve included it here, but you can also use other fruit – see below.

Honey – Acai is low in sugar, so I think it helps to have a bit of natural sweetness either from fruit, honey, or a combination of both. You can adjust according to your preference.

Milk – I’ve used almond milk, but you can use your milk of choice. See below for some ideas and be sure to use a milk alternative if you want a dairy-free option.

Are Acai Bowls Healthy?
I don’t usually like to get into healthy vs NOT healthy foods, because I think all foods can fit within our diets and the term healthy doesn’t mean much. If you are a vegan, then yes, this would be healthy; and if you are keto, then no, this wouldn’t be healthy. It’s all relative.

But I know you are wondering, fine, but are acai bowls healthy?!

Yes, acai bowls can be healthy! They also have a reputation for being really high in sugar, but it really depends on what you put into them.

If you’re concerned, make it at home so you know just what is going into them.

When I get them at smoothie shops, I like to make sure I’ve got some that are blended with a nut butter and then I’ll also add a scoop of peanut butter on the top so that it is filling enough for a meal.

Acai Bowl Ingredient Ideas
As I’ve mentioned, these bowls are totally customizable. Here are some alternatives to the blended portion of the acai bowls and topping ideas are below!

Liquid – Cows milk, h**p milk, almond milk, coconut milk, coconut water, juice, etc.

Protein – Protein powder, yogurt, or nut butters will give your acai bowl extra staying power.

Sweeteners – Honey is popular, but maple syrup or agave nectar would also work well.

Fruit – Berries, banana, mango, pineapple, pitaya, papaya, passion fruit, etc. Frozen berries work really well to keep the mixture thick.

Extras – Cacao, almonds, almond butter, peanut butter, spinach, frozen riced cauliflower, etc.