Easy vegetable pasta

Comparison is the death of joy and looking at what others are eating, their body shapes and their lives will only make you unhappy and exhausted. It causes you to lose your special shine because you feel less valuable based on a flawed system determining success and worth. You matter, just the way that you are. Gaining health, self worth, good self esteem, energy and happiness in your life is something that you deserve. 

If you want to be healthier then you need to take control of the aspects that you can control. It’s that simple. Don’t overcomplicate things and break your victim mentality through thought swapping. When you hear a negative comparison pop up in your head replace it with something that you are grateful for. If you repeat this three times a day for a week you will start to feel things change. Practice patience with yourself.

Everyone needs a good pasta in their arsenal. Whenever you eat something that is classified as an indulgence such as a pasta, not only can you substitute the pasta with a healthier option, but you can also load it up with as many veggies as possible to keep the balance. Eating more vegetables reduces the risk of chronic diseases and provides the body with vital nutrients to maintain homeostasis.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons coconut oil

• 400 g cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 medium-size aubergine, cut into small cubes

• 2 cobs sweetcorn

• 1 cup vegetable stock

• 250 g buckwheat pasta

• salt

• 4 kale leaves, stalks removed and leaves torn

• zest and juice of ½ lemon

• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (or grated Parmesan)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 handful fresh parsley leaves

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Heat the coconut oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cherry tomatoes and sauté for 10 minutes. Add the paprika, oregano and aubergine cubes and stir well.

Remove the kernels from the sweetcorn by slicing down the length with a sharp knife. Add the kernels to the tomato mixture and stir well. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a saucepan of salted water as per the packet instructions. Once ready, drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water, and set the pasta aside.

When the sauce is ready after 20 minutes, add the pasta and gently mix in along with the torn kale leaves, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of the nutritional yeast. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water.

Serve the pasta in a bowl, drizzled with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice and topped with parsley and the remaining tablespoon of nutritional yeast.

Dark chocolate oat cookies

Stress can result in inflammation in the body and if you are leading a stressful life then all of that chaos can harm the progress you are making with your healthier choices in the food department. Your health and wellbeing will improve when you manage stress better. Your stress can impact period health, weight gain, and your general mood. Living a stress-free life in today’s world is nearly impossible, but managing it with practical tools can assist the body in healing the adrenal glands and finding balanced weight and hormones. If you lead a very stressful life then a B complex vitamin and deep belly breathing are a great starting point. Perhaps it's time for a trip to the spa or taking up yoga?

Makes: ± 15 cookies

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes 

This is a great recipe to prepare on a quiet Sunday so that your breakfasts during the week can be quick and stress-free. You will also have a healthy snack whenever you need one. They are high in fiber and if you would like ca be made without the chocolate if you prefer something less sweet. 

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Ingredients:

 ½ cup raw almonds, roughly chopped

½ cup coconut flakes 

1 cup rolled oats

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon psyllium husk

½ teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons maple syrup

½ cup mashed banana

¼ cup almond milk, slightly warmed

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

½ cup chopped dark chocolate

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Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 170 °C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Spread the almonds over a roasting tray and roast for 3 minutes. Remove from the tray and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the coconut flakes to the same roasting tray and roast for 4 minutes until they start to brown. Add the coconut flakes to the mixing bowl.

Add the oats, cinnamon, psyllium husk, and salt to the bowl and stir until well mixed.

In a separate bowl, mix together the maple syrup, banana, almond milk, coconut oil, vanilla paste, and lemon juice.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix until well combined. Fold in the dark chocolate chunks.

Using a tablespoon, scoop out the cookie dough and arrange in rows on the prepared baking tray. Flatten and neaten the cookies using the back of the spoon so that they are even and that all the bits of coconut are tucked in. This will prevent the edges from burning while baking.

Gently press on the cookies using the back of a fork, being careful not to make them too thin. The cookies should be about 5 cm in diameter.

Pop them in the oven and bake for 23–25 minutes. Keep an eye on them and check at 20 minutes. You want the middle cooked and the edges brown. 

Once ready, remove the cookies from the oven and set them aside to cool completely.

-Melissa

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