First there were apples, then there were delicious muffins!

Quick training session on the river this morning (gorgeous water, just not much of it!), then boat de-rigging and loading before heading home for healthy fruit smoothie breakfast.
A few of us are off to race at Teddington Small Boats Head on Saturday - the last time I did it the conditions were appalling and not many people stayed above the water!  So I realised we would need sustenance to keep us going through the day (there are two divisions to race, one at 10.30am and the other at 1.30pm), especially if it's going to be rough.
The great thing about making muffins is that pretty much anything tastes good in one (that should get a few comments rolling in!), and they are extremely simple to make.  Basically I look through the food I have at home and start baking.  So this recipe gives you lots of options - start experimenting yourself - that's how all recipes are born!







Spiced Apple and Sultana Muffins (dairy-free)

Makes 12

240 g wholemeal plain flour (could use white, or gluten free?)
80 g rolled oats (could use oatgerm?)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100 g dark brown sugar (could use caster, or demerara?)
2 apples, grated (use peel but not core)
1/2 tsp mixed spice (choose your favourite spice)
120 g Coconoil (could use butter if OK with dairy)
1 egg
100 ml non-dairy milk (could use milk or yoghurt if OK with dairy)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F) Gas mark 5.  Line a muffin tin with paper cases.
Place the flour, oats, baking powder, bicarb, sugar, grated apple and mixed spice into a large bowl and mix well.
Beat together the Coconoil, egg and milk.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and roughly mix - do not overmix!
Bake for 22-25 minutes until golden and springy to the touch.

Enjoy xx

Never enough cake!

Lots of great comments about the recipes and blog, but one comment that stuck out was that there was not enough cake!!  Anybody who knows me well will know that cake features quite highly in my life.  Eating healthily is one thing, cake is quite another and certainly cannot be missed out!  And luckily my rule of 80% healthy and 20% naughty allows for this.
So here follows a healthy naughty cake recipe - it's rich in antioxidants (dark chocolate, cranberries and raspberries), is gluten and dairy free (gluten free flour and coconut oil instead of butter), and is to die for!

Raspberry and Cranberry Chocolate Brownies

Makes 12-16

225 g dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa)

250 g caster sugar

4 eggs

225 g coconut oil, melted

75 g cocoa powder

75 g gluten-free plain flour

150 g fresh raspberries

50 g dried cranberries

·      Preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F) Gas mark 5.  Lightly grease a 20 cm square tin.

·      Melt the chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water.

·      Meanwhile, whisk together the sugar and eggs in a large bowl, until the sugar has dissolved.

·      Whisk in the melted coconut oil then sift in the cocoa powder and flour and fold them into the mixture.

·      Finally, fold in the melted chocolate, raspberries and cranberries then pour into the prepared tin.

·      Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a knife inserted into the middle of the mixture comes out with only a little of the mixture attached.

·      Leave to cool in the tin before cutting into squares to serve.

You can find more of my antioxidant-rich recipes in Total Sports Nutrition next month.

Autumn Colours

No doubt you will have heard of the expression 'eating a rainbow', but how much of this advice do you really follow?
There is a good reason why you should, especially at this time of year.  If people around you are starting to get the sniffles and coughs, then you need to be doubly sure your immune system is in the peak of condition, and that comes from supporting it with great foods that are rich in antioxidants, which are easy to spot as they are the colourful ones!
Firstly you need to know that your body is going to absorb these wonderful nutrients, so if you have any bloating, flatulence or stomach pain issue, you may need to see a health professional to ensure your digestive system is working at the optimum level.
Ensuring you are including colourful foods into your diet is easy - just look at your plate before each meal!  If it's all brown and beige you're doing it wrong!  And that may be because you are buying readymade foods.  For example, the pot of houmous shown here is homemade, but not only do I include all the normal ingredients - chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil, I also add Brazil nuts and parsley - added essential fats, fibre, selenium, vitamin C, vitamin E, plus much more.  There is no comparison on nutrition or price to the shop-bought product.  And served with roasted sweet potatoes and carrots that have been tossed in olive oil, cumin seeds and pumpkin seeds, you have yourself a colourful, nutritious snack.
For those that have a sweet tooth and need a bit of a treat, even this can be healthy and takes little effort -

Mango and Apricot Crumble

Serves 4

175 g dried apricots, roughly chopped
grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1 large mango, peeled, stoned and chopped
100 g raspberries
50 g ground almonds
15 g coconut oil, melted

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas mark 6.
Place the chopped apricots into a bowl and add the orange zest and juice.  Cover and leave to stand for 1 hour.
Place the mango in an ovenproof dish then add the raspberries and finally spoon over the soaked apricots and all the juice.
Sprinkle over the ground almonds followed by the coconut oil and bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden on top.