Kickstart your day with a yummy breakfast smoothie.....

Breakfast is the most important meal of   the day! We have heard that often enough, but it is tough to find time to prepare and eat something that is nutritious as well as appetizing in the morning rush!

There are several advantages to eating a healthful breakfast -

It revs up your metabolism! After a 12 hour night time fast, when you eat a nutritious breakfast, the brain and the body feels alert and energized and reassured with the supply of energy (and hence doesn't try to conserve or store it as fat reserves for contingency/starvation ) but prepares to use the energy for all the day's activity.

Eating breakfast keeps you from bingeing.  A lack of real food in the morning, followed by many rounds of coffee or tea to camouflage the hunger,  creates  an artificial satiety and then by lunch time you are ravenous and are likely choose fatty calorie dense food and too much of it!

A morning meal keeps your blood sugar regulated and that, apart from keeping your body stress free, also keeps you in a good mood.

I begin my day, everyday, with this amazingly delicious, raw, vegan smoothie, which is now a favorite with so many of my friends, family and clients!
To call it a protein shake just doesn't do it justice, it's a complete meal, antioxidant rich, full of vitamins, minerals, omega -3 essential fatty acids, digestible energy, amino acids and protein.
Each ingredient in this smoothie is nutrient rich and adds it's own unique set of benefits to the mix.

Sprouts, which is a great breakfast/smoothie ingredient, is said to, ‘represent the miracle of birth’. They are in the true sense, super foods. They are alkaline, whole, pure, and natural foods.                


A sprout is at the transitional stage between seed and plant. Sprouts are essentially pre-digested foods as the seeds’ own enzymes do most of the work. During sprouting, much of the starch is broken down into simple sugars such as glucose and sucrose by the action of the enzyme ‘amylase’. Proteins are converted into amino acids and amides. Fats and oils are converted into simpler fatty acids by the action of the enzyme lipase. On sprouting, there is also a tremendous increase in nutrients as compared to the dried grain. The vitamins, minerals and protein content substantially increase (to give you an idea, the vitamin B2 content goes up by over 500%) with a simultaneous decrease in caloric and carbohydrate content. 
Also, during sprouting there is a reduction in the gas producing quality of beans. Mainly oligosaccharides have been held responsible for gas formation. As the process of germination ends and sprouting begins, the content of oligosaccharides is reduced by 90 percent.
The content of fiber and water increases tremendously, which is a boon for a healthy digestive system.
Sprouts are a good source of chlorophyll, said to have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. They are highly beneficial foods for losing weight too. They keep one full for a long time and also prevent over-eating as one feels satisfied on consuming just a handful and is the best way of getting the advantage of complete nutrition.

To sprout the grain, wash and soak it in water overnight, in the morning, drain the water and tie the grains in a cheese    cloth or a thin muslin cloth in a pouch and let it hang for a couple of hours (to drain the extra water). Now, put this pouch in an air tight container and store it in a warm humid place for 18 - 24 hours, depending on the weather.

So, here's the recipe that will change your life, it did mine...

Ingredients

1 apple

3 small (cardamom) bananas

1 orange peeled with an inch of it's peel

1 pear

1 kiwi fruit

5 almonds

5 cashews

1 tbsp flax seeds

2 cups water

1 cup ice

1 tbsp of sprouts (ragi/moong/red rice)

Blend the above in a  high powered blender.

Now, that's a great start to a wonderful day! Enjoy!

Raw energy bite

 A wonderfully satisfying and yummy, all time snack or dessert. You could eat it to combat a mid afternoon slump, a sweet tooth, post workout deficit or even PMS.

This is one recipe where each ingredient is a super food in it's own right and each and every calorie is densely packed with energy, protein, calcium, omega 3 fatty acids , fiber and many micro nutrients !

This raw power packed energy bite is a great way to consume your daily quota of flax seeds. Flax has a unique combination of features—omega-3 fatty acids, high-lignan content, and mucilage gums— which is a key factor in the health benefits it offers.

It's one of the highest sources of heart healthy, omega 3 essential fatty acids. 

The lignans are fiber like compounds which apart from providing fiber like benefits also provide antioxidant support and have a health-supportive role to play, in the form of phytoestrogen or plant estrogen.
"Mucilage" refers to water-soluble, gel-forming fiber that can provide special support to the intestinal tract. For example, gums can help prevent the too rapid emptying of the stomach contents into the small intestine, thereby improving absorption of certain nutrients in the small intestine.
Flax protects the blood vessels from oxidative stress and inflammatory damage,and decreases the risk of high blood pressure. The antioxidant and anti inflammatory qualities make it ideal for cancer prevention! It also is diabetes preventative and helps better sugar management for diabetics and boosts digestive health! Flax can also help manage post menopausal symptoms like hot flushes.

Dates and dried figs are a great sugar substitute to create healthier desserts, they not only provide a superior taste and texture but are also better than any other sweetener available because of their high fiber, calcium and mineral content! Together they are great for digestive health and bone health and to prevent heart disease and various kinds of cancers. Figs especially are wonderful for diabetics because of their high potassium content.

Here's the recipe,

Ingredients
1 cup oats
1 ½  cups nuts ground coarsely (a mix of walnuts, pistachios, almonds)*
1/2 cup ground sesame seeds
3/4 cup ground flax seed
1 cup finely chopped dried figs
1 cup finely chopped dates
1 cup hot water
1 tsp cinnamon powder
* you could replace the nuts with roasted and ground peanuts if you prefer.

For Diabetics
Replace 1 cup dates with 1/2 cup figs &1/2 cup dates along with the existing fig content.

Process
Put the figs and dates in a shallow bowl and add the hot water, mix well and let it rest for an hour. In a large bowl mix the first four ingredients, then add the fig date water and mix really well. Chill this mixture in the fridge for half an hour. Roll bite sized balls of the mixture and refrigerate. It keeps for a couple of weeks.
It is an ideal snack for kids to carry to school or for adults to carry to the work place! A great replacement to the high sugar, store bought energy bars or muesli bars!