Browsing Tag

complex carbohydrates

Friday Fare, Health, Healthy on the cheap, Products I love

My Favorite Carbohydrates

February 17, 2015

Contrary to what you may read or hear, carbohydrates (and especially complex carbohydrates) are good for you and essential for your well-being. A while ago, I wrote a piece about carbohydrates and why you should not cut them out of your diet. Click here to read the blog post to get up to date on why you should not go on a low-carbohydrate diet. I realize that there are many reasons people go on a low-carbohydrate diet, but they tend to have specific reasons for doing so. For the majority of people, it is not necessary to cut out carbohydrates to lose weight and fat.

Newsflash: Carbohydrates aren’t evil

I eat a variety of carbohydrates daily, which range from leafy green vegetables (yes, vegetables are a form of carbohydrates!) to delicious sourdough breads. I wanted to compile a list of my favorite carbohydrates which I think can help introduce some variety in your diet and encourage you to try new foods.

My Favorite Carbohydrates 

My Favorite Carbohydrates

 1. Marble Rye Bread

How I enjoy it: Try adding some smashed avocado on top in place of butter (like this).

2. Garbanzo beans (or chickpea’s as is said in the UK)
How I enjoy it: I make a veggie burger with them (like this)!

3. Bananas
How I enjoy it: On their own, with nut butter or in a fruit salad.

4. Sesame Rye Crackers
How I enjoy it: Usually with some smashed avocado I have to admit. I love avocado!!

5. Quinoa
How I enjoy it: Fabulous for stir-fries! Try cracking an egg over some cooked quinoa to make ‘fried rice’ 🙂

6. Brown Rice
How I enjoy it: I love having brown rice in warm salads and adding it to soup for a heartier meal.

7. Sourdough Bread
How I enjoy it: Same as the marble rye bread honestly!

[Tweet “7 Healthy and Delicious Carbohydrates”]

Another notable carbohydrate I love is oatmeal. I make overnight oats (here is a fun kombucha overnight oats recipe) or healthy pancakes with them (four ingredient recipe here).

What is your favorite carbohydrate and how do you eat it?

Honestly yours,
Alice

Thank you for always supporting me! For more Honestly Fitness, check out my InstagramFacebookTwitter & Pinterest.

Friday Fare

Chickpea Veggie Burgers

June 20, 2014

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all had a lovely week and have some fun plans for the weekend. I will be venturing up North to visit my boyfriend’s grandparents and aunt. But before I do, I wanted to share my new chickpea veggie burgers with you all.

Chickpea Veggie Burgers

Chickpea Veggie Burgers

Today I have some lovely vegetarian Chickpea Veggie Burgers (garbanzo beans for my American’s) for you all! I had a craving for something cheesy and filling a few nights ago and thought it would be fun to experiment .. ultimately resulting in this delish recipe. Chickpeas are a wonderful source of low G.I. carbohydrates, protein, fiber and a range of vitamins and minerals. A 1 cup serving of chickpeas contain 40g of carbohydrates, 2g of fat, 14g of fiber (wow!! almost half of your daily requirement), and 14g of protein. They also contain a fair amount of iron, which is great for the ladies, especially ladies who choose not to eat red meat. These chickpea burgers are not vegan because they contain asiago cheese. However, they can be made vegan if you omit the cheese that is in them, or replace it with vegan cheese, but I cannot guarantee the same texture and taste if you do this.

Chickpea Veggie Burgers

Chickpea Veggie Burgers

Excited? Hungry? Hopefully both, so let’s get cooking!

Chickpea Veggie Burgers

Alice Williams
Enjoy a healthy burger without the guilt!
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup chickpeas
  • 4 tbsp shredded asiago cheese
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp tahini
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp himalayan pink salt or any high quality salt

Instructions
 

  • 1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees farenheit
  • 2. Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until smooth. You can make it as smooth or as chunky as you please.
  • 3. Form the mixture into two burger patties, and then place in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, BROIL the burger patties on high for 2 minutes.
  • 4. Serve naked, on some sourdough bread, on a tortilla like I did, or whatever your heart desires. And don't forget to add your veggies too!

Notes

Makes 2 large patties or 4 small ones.
Chickpea Veggie Burgers

Yummmm. They are so filling and delicious, in love! I hope you all enjoyed them as much as I did. I love having mine with plenty of spinach (my go to leafy green) and tzatziki. What do you have yours with?

Honestly yours,
Alice

Friday Fare

Healthy Blueberry Coconut Muffins

June 13, 2014

Ah muffins, how I adore thee, and especially these healthy blueberry coconut muffins. But certainly not the kind you buy from the supermarket or from most commercial stores.

healthy blueberry coconut muffins

Healthy Blueberry Coconut Muffins

Most commercial muffins are made with many unnecessary ingredients and tend to be packed full of sugar and starchy carbohydrates. My delightful muffins are not only filled with ingredients that will actually do your body good, but they are also low in added sugar and have a good amount of protein and fiber in them. Of course they are a treat, but when choosing a sweet treat it is always better to make your own sweet treat using ingredients that provide your body with energy and nutrients. Plus, not all places provide the nutritional information and ingredients used to make their muffins .. so who knows what you may be eating and how many calories and added sugar you may be having! I like knowing exactly what is in my food, thanks very much.

Healthy Blueberry Coconut Muffins

These muffins are a sweet combination of complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, protein and fiber. All of your daily macronutrients in one little muffin! In place of white or brown sugar, the sugar in these muffins come from bananas, blueberries, and honey. Of course these ingredients still have sugar in them, but they also provide you with a lot of other things such as vitamins, minerals and fiber. I replaced white flour with coconut flour because it is packed with fiber, protein and iron and gives the muffins a lovely and moist texture. The majority of the protein of course come from the eggs and the vanilla protein powder to help us with our weight loss and strength training goals. Oh, and for those with nut allergies or gluten sensitivities, these muffins are gluten free and are nut free 🙂

Healthy Blueberry Coconut Muffins

I am pretty sure that by now you are convinced that you must try them!

Healthy Blueberry Coconut Muffins

Alice Williams
A succulent blend of sweet blueberry and coconut wrapped in a warm muffin!

Ingredients
  

  • Dry Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • Wet Ingredients
  • 1 banana
  • 3 eggs or 1 cup egg whites
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 cup blueberries

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees farenheit
  • You can use either a food processor or a whisk to mix the ingredients together. First, combine your wet ingredients in a bowl (EXCEPT for the blueberries) and then mix in the dry ingredients. If using a food processor, put the wet ingredients in first and then pulse until smooth (minus the blueberries). Then add the dry ingredients and whizz some more until you get a smooth and thick consistency.
  • Now you may add in the blueberries. Do not blend or mash them in! Simply fold them into the muffin mixture.
  • Evenly divide the muffin mixture into 10 muffin holders and bake for 18-20 minutes. Let them cool for 5 minutes.
  • Eat and enjoy - try and put some in the fridge for the coming week (if you can resist)!
Healthy Blueberry Coconut Muffins

I hope this week’s edition of Friday Fare inspires you to try this healthier version of a muffin instead of reaching for something easy and convenient when you are next out shopping. There are so many ways that you can enjoy the foods you live whilst living a healthy lifestyle. And half of the time, the healthier versions taste better than the unhealthy versions! I have certainly noticed this and most ‘normal’ desserts I have are just far too sweet for me now. What is your fave healthy sweet treat?

Honestly yours,
Alice