Makes: 1 serving
Preparation: 10mns
Total: 10mns

Benefits: 
One of my favorite breakfast/snacks. Bursting with rich antioxidants that will boost your immunity.
Ingredients:

1 cup fresh spinach
1 cup fresh kale
1/2 small banana
2 teaspoons cacao nibs
2 teaspoons Organic Acai berry powder
1/2 cup frozen berries
Unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk

Toppings:
1/2 small banana, sliced
Freshly grated coconut
1/4 cup granola, optional
​Nuts, optional 

Directions:

1. To a blender, add the spinach, kale, banana, acai powder, berries and  cacao nibs. Blend until roughly mixed and add the milk in small amounts until a thick yoghurt like texture is achieved. 
2. Pour acai purée into a bowl, then add toppings of your choice.

Makes: 30 Santas
Preparation: 10mns
Total Time: 20mns

Benefits:
These are almost too adorable to eat! They make a lovely addition to your christmas table and will have everyone talking, especially kids! They are normally made with whipped cream but here is our healthier version. Strawberries are jam-packed with Vitamin C which helps the body maintain healthy tissues and a strong immune system. Greek Yoghurt is naturally lower in fat and higher in good bacteria (probiotics) making it a better choice over normal yoghurt. Good quality unrefined raw honey is  filled with wonderful nutrients that are practically all lost in commercial processed honey - so always make sure you go for the best, its a lot more expensive but honestly there is just no comparison.

Ingredients:
1 large case strawberries (About 30)
1 tub of plain THICK Greek yogurt (about 32oz). 
2 tablespoons best quality honey you can find (I always go for Raw honey or Manuka Honey)
A handful of Flaxseed or raisins (anything you choose to make Santa's eyes)
Desiccated coconut (optional)
Accessories: 1 piping bag with piping tip

Directions:

1. Cut the tip of the strawberries off to make Santa's hat!
2. Hull the body of the strawberry slightly so the Yoghurt can sit in it (this will be santa's body!)
3. Mix the yoghurt and honey and spoon it into your piping bag, this can be a bit tricky!
4. Squeeze some yoghurt in the hulled part of the Strawberry. squeeze some more to make buttons on Santa's body.
5. Put Santa's hat on top and make eyes with flaxseeds or any other item of your choice. Add a squirt of yoghurt to the top of santa's hat and voila!
6. Set all your Santas on a display tray and sprinkle with desiccated coconut to give a snow effect (optional).

Makes: 2 servings
preparation: 10mns
Total Time: 55mns

Benefits:
This is a great desert that won't spike your blood sugar. The nuts and seeds are full of great heart-healthy fats and they work to keep your blood sugar level in this desert. 

Ingredients:
2 Large Bramley apples
6-8 dates pitted, chopped
1 tablespoon Seville orange marmalade
2 teaspoons ground almonds, hazelnuts or sunflower seeds
4 tablespoons cloudy apple juice (fresh)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 220C/425F
   
2. Wash and core the apples. Score the center of each apple all the way round (horizontally) to stop them splitting during cooking.
   
3. Mix the  the dates, marmalade, ground nuts/seeds, and stuff the apples with this mixture
   
4. Place the apples in an oven-proof dish, pour the apple juice on top and bake for about 45mns until the apple is cooked through.

Source: The Optimum Nutrition Cookbook

Makes: 4 Servings     
Preparation: 20mns
Total time: 20mns

Benefits:
This salad is full of Vitamin C rich foods with delicious strawberries and cantaloupe. Vitamin C enhances the absorption of iron in the body, making iron-rich spinach a great addition to this salad. Avocado is an excellent source of heart-healthy fats.
Did you know that half a cup of sesame seeds contains three times more calcium than half a cup of whole milk? In addition to being an excellent dietary source of calcium, sesame seeds are also a good source of copper and magnesium. 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, or red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Pinch of salt
4 cups baby spinach
1 small avocado, (4-5 ounces), peeled, pitted and cut into 16 slices
16 thin slices cantaloupe, (about 1/2 small cantaloupe), rind removed
1 1/2 cups hulled strawberries, sliced
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted 
Roasted chicken slices (optional)

Directions:

1. Toast sesame seeds: heat a small dry skillet over low heat. Add sesame seeds and stir constantly until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.
2. Whisk honey, vinegar, mint, pepper and salt in a small bowl.
3. If you want to serve in individual portions, divide the spinach into 4 salad plates. Alternatively, You may also serve it in a big bowl layering the ingredients in the same way. 
4. Arrange alternating slices of avocado and cantaloupe in a fan on top of the spinach. Top with strawberries, drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds. 

Source: Recipe and Photo from 'Eating Well'

Makes: 1 Serving
Preparation: 5-7 mns
Total time: 5-7 mns

Benefits:
This is one of my absolute favourite breakfasts! I have it practically every morning and vary the fruits and nuts daily to add variety to my diet. You should prepare it the night before and leave it in the fridge, ready to eat in the morning. It is a prefect combination of proteins (nuts, yoghurt) and carbs (oats), which keeps you fuller for much longer. Oats are a great source of soluble fiber that helps to reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. Five to 10 grams or more of soluble fiber a day decreases your total and LDL cholesterol. 

Ingredients:
30g of Oats
120g of low fat organic yoghurt/Greek yoghurt
60g fruits of your choice (try pomegranates, berries, peach/apricots or a mix!)
3-4 pieces of walnuts or almonds chopped, or 1 teaspoon of milled Flaxseed.

Directions:
Mix the oats, yoghurt and fruits together and place in the fridge overnight. The raw oats will absorb the liquid from the yoghurt and soften, almost like they have been cooked. In the morning remove from the fridge and sprinkle with the nuts.

Tip: We love to add a little Cinnamon to the mix. It tastes delicious and its great for Balancing Blood sugar

Makes: 4 Servings
Preparation: 10mns
Total time: 10mns


Benefits: 
This is a great salad for the summer time! The citrus fruits are full of Vitamin C and add a very interesting flavour to this salad. 
Brown rice vinegar adds an abundance of amino acids that work to enhance your health (Amino acids are necessary for proper digestion and absorption of nutrients from foods). Olive oil and almonds are full of good fats that raise your good cholesterol. An all round healthy salad!

Ingredients:
2 hearts of romaine lettuce
2 fresh oranges and/or grapefruits
2 tablespoons brown rice syrup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup roasted almonds, slivered

Directions: 

1. Wash and chop lettuce and place into large bowl.
   
2. Cut off skin from oranges and/or grapefruits by cutting off top half, remove skin in strips, working all the way around the fruit from top to bottom. Cut along the side of the membrane to remove the sections of the citrus fruit.
3. Combine brown rice syrup with vinegar and stream in extra-virgin olive oil, stirring constantly.
4. Pour dressing over the lettuce, season with sea salt and pepper and toss.
5. Lay fruit on top of lettuce and garnish with almonds.

Source: IIN

Benefits:
Pomegranates have been cherished for their exquisite beauty, flavor, color, and health benefits for centuries. They are high in vitamin C and potassium, a great source of fiber and are low in calories. Pomegranate juice is high in three different types of polyphenols, a potent form of antioxidants. The three types - tannins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid - are present in many fruits, but fresh pomegranate juice contains particularly high amounts of all three. This dressing is great for salads and fruit as well.

Ingredients:
1 cup pomegranate juice (either juice your own or try to find an unsweetened natural version in your local health store)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Tarragon
1 teaspoon lemon thyme

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients in a container with a tight lid and shake vigorously.
   
2. Serve over salad greens or fruit.
   

Makes: 2 Servings
Preparation: 15mns
Total Time: 35mns

Benefits:
This spinach and cranberry stuffed salmon is great way to incorporate two power foods into your diet. High in Omega 3's and antioxidants and simply delicious!

Ingredients:
1 pound of Salmon fillets
½ cup of fresh spinach leaves
3 to 4 fresh basil leaves chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 clove of garlic minced
2 tablespoons craisins chopped (craisins are dried cranberries)
2 tablespoons nuts chopped (pecans, walnuts or almonds are recommended)
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
½ cup breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Sauté the spinach, lemon zest, and garlic until spinach is wilted.
   
2. Combine the craisins, nuts, basil, and oregano leaves in a small bowl. Add the wilted spinach mixture to the small bowl and combine
   
3. Cut a pocket horizontally into each salmon fillet. Stuff each pocket with about 2 tablespoons of the combined mixture.
   
4. Spread 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard on the salmon and finish by sprinkling breadcrumbs on top of each fillet.
   
5. Place salmon on non-stick baking sheet or backing sheet lined with oven safe paper and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit or until fillets are fully cooked.