Gluten-free Breakfast: Vegan Banana Brown Rice Pudding

I follow a gluten-free diet as strictly as my willpower enables me, avoiding bread, pasta and cakes. While this task is usually not a huge ask for me, one meal I do miss is porridge. Oats are questionable for a gluten-intolerant, some people can digest them and others (like me) struggle. If I have a long morning ahead, I find something substantial like porridge will keep me satisfied right though to a late lunch, avoiding any tummy grumbling mid-meeting.

Rice pudding, especially made with brown rice, is as comforting as porridge and very filling. It will require more preparation (no one minute microwave options here) but you can make portions in advance to have on the ready. As always you can experiment with flavours and add ins. It's summer in Australia so I had fresh mango and banana to add in mine.

Other flavour combinations suggested are:

• peeled diced apple and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup of sultanas and grated orange rind
• 1/2 cup of dried sliced apricots and substitute the almond milk for coconut milk
• plain vanilla made with 1 fresh vanilla bean, seeds removed and cooked with pod in

To cut a few corners, I actually used my trusty rice cooker, which makes things really simple because you add your ingredients in, push start and leave it to do its thing. Rice cookers are super cheap and you can usually find them in your grocery store or Kmart/Target for $20. If you have lots of mouths to feed, a rice cooker can be a big help. These days you can also find lots of different healthy rice varieties with add ins like quinoa, barley, chia seeds and wild rice. To boost the rice flavour for savoury dishes, try adding frozen peas or shredded spinach for some added greenery or a low-salt organic stock cube as the rice will absorb those flavors while cooking.


Vegan Banana Brown Rice Pudding

Serves 3/4 depending on serving sizes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of brown rice
• 3 cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk + extra for topping up if needed (you can use whatever milk you prefer but check it is unsweetened, rice/oat/almond milk often has a heap of added sugar)
• 1 tablespoon of stevia sweetener (optional depending on how sweet you like it)
• 1 chopped banana
• 1/2 mango, diced

Method:

1. Add the uncooked rice, stevia and 2 1/2 cups of almond milk into your rice cooker and turn onto cook.
2. Let the rice cook for 35 - 40 minutes, in which time you may need to top up with almond milk if it starts to dry out. Check after the 25 minute mark in 5 minute intervals or so, just to make sure the rice isn't catching to the bottom of the pan.
3. If you are using a saucepan, do the same process but just bring to the boil and leave to simmer with the lid on.
4. When the rice is tender and absorbed most of the almond milk turn onto keep warm or turn the heat off your saucepan.
5. Stir through the fruit and 1/2 cup of almond milk to make the sauce creamy. Let sit for 10 minutes for the fruit to cook through.
6. Transfer to bowls to serve or store in containers for a few days. Enjoy!

Skinny Red Velvet Cupcakes

This recipe is inspired by secretly healthy red velvet cupcakes recipe on 'Chocolate Covered Katie', which is this amazing blog dedicated to healthy desserts. Red velvet cupcakes are a family favourite and I wanted to make some that were as delicious as the original cakes without the gluten or sugar.

Skinny Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup spelt flour or gluten-free flour plus 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 3 tbsp of cacao powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup of stevia 
• 1/4 cup of cashew cream (see recipe below)
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup beetroot juice 
• 2 tbsp water 

Cashew Cream

• 1 cup of raw cashews (soaked in water for at least 2 hours)
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of water

Directions:

1. To make the cashew cream, drain the cashews and blend with lemon juice and water until smooth and creamy. 
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a muffin tin with patty cake wrappers. 
3. In a large bowl, sift and combine flour, cacao powder, baking soda and stevia. 
4. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients and whisk until combined. 
5. Pour wet into dry and stir until just combined. 
6. Put batter into each cupcake wrapper (about 2/3 full) and bake for 15 minutes, until risen. Let sit for 10 minutes to cool before removing from the mufin tin.

Left over cashew cream can be used as a delicious dressing for salads.

To ice the cupcakes, use vegan cream cheese or low-fat cream cheese whisked with some stevia to make a tangy icing.

Geordie Shore's Vicky Loses the Party Girl Weight

Following another six-week stint of filming the MTV's Geordie Shore, reality star Vicky Pattison had reached up to 70 kilos after indulging in takeaway and alcohol every night. Admitting she could gain up to 7 kilos each season taping, Vicky had lost her self confidence

"When I am at my heaviest I just don’t feel confident at all. I have all these sexy clothes and I don’t feel like wearing any of them at all."

After a series of unflattering photos were published, Vicky decided to change her unhealthy lifestyle. Dropping from a size 16 to a size 8 in just two months, Vicky cut out alcohol and saturated fat to reshape her body.

Feeling energetic and positive, Vicky is proud of herself and find exercise quite therapeutic. Despite her weight loss triumph, Vicki admits the lifestyle change has been a struggle. ‘It’s a struggle maintaining this body, let alone thinking about losing more weight. It’s a nightmare.’ A confessed carb-lover, she does miss bread and pasta but knows that no one is perfect. She stays motivated by keeping her goal weight as her incentive.

"All I remember is how badly I felt when I couldn't fit in to any of my clothes. I just remember that when I feel like giving up."

The party lifestyle had taken its toll on the 25-year-old

Booze binges have now been swapped for peppermint tea and outdoor workouts. For breakfast, the newly-fit star will have porridge and fresh fruit, spinach and eggwhite omlette or protein pancakes. Lunch will be a salad with lean meat, followed by grilled fish and vegetables for dinner.

Vicky is adamant this lifestyle change will be permanent, saying 'I am a healthy, strong young girl, and I still have a bit more to lose.'

Taking to Twitter, Vicky thanked her fans for the support.

"Can't believe how sweet everyone is being about my weight loss! Thank you - still got work to do but I'm getting there!"

Fitness For All Seasons, contributed by Emily Stone

With readers from all over the globe, myself and reader turned guest contributor, Emily Stone (fellow fitness freak and health food addict) teamed up to offer fitness tips for every season. Different environments and climates bring their own set of challenges to our healthy mindsets and our ability to reach set fitness goals. Read our tips for exercising no matter the weather, giving you no excuses, only motivation to dodge those Christmas pounds.

Fitness in Spring and Summer 

In great juxtaposition to the Northern Hemisphere, an Australian Christmas is usually spent outdoors at the beach or by the pool, and this year is going to be a hot holiday!

Sweltering weather can challenge your fitness routine; your workout can last five minutes when you are sweating before you start, with outdoor walks and runs swapped for movie days indoors, air-conditioning blasting. But holidays also bring parties and special occasions where champagne is guzzled, mince pies are gobbled down and cheese platters replace your usual healthy dinner options. Exercise is more important than ever during this time, which means you must have a plan in place.

Embrace the warmer weather

While you may be on holidays, far away from your gym membership, you can always find a way to incorporate exercise in your daily routine. Do laps in the hotel pool to burn tones of calories, try soft sand running to tone up your legs, attempt surfing or boogie boarding to work that core or try water skiing if you are feeling adventurous. You can even set up a volleyball net in your backyard pool. Whatever the activity, you can make your workouts fun and effective. If all else fails, be sure to check out the hotel gym or get a temporary pass to one near your getaway. 

Create a comfortable workout zone

I cannot workout in hot weather. I loathe it. After 15 minutes I feel I have run a two-day marathon and collapse in a heap (I am not cut-out for the heat). If you also need a cool environment to exercise in, make sure you go to a gym with an efficient air conditioning system, allowing you to go-go-go on those cardio machines without losing half your body weight in sweat. If your gym is in a warehouse or loft, you may want to reconsider; these facilities are impossible to cool.

If you are lucky enough to have an air-conditioning system at home, pop that on about 10 minutes before you start your at-home routine. Whether this is doing an exercise DVD, or following your own routine, it will be that much easier to complete if you are comfortable.

Make sure your workout attire is made of breathable fabrics, like cotton, and replace thick tights with shorts. If you are braving the outdoors, a hat and plenty of sunscreen is a must. If you are hitting the water, make sure to reapply suncream and take cover at the hottest times of the day. 

Eat smart!

Spring and Summer is when you can embrace eating lots of fresh fruits (mangoes, peaches and cherries - yes please!) and live off big salads. Make sure to drink lots of water to stay hydrated and try fresh coconut water for a hit of electrolytes to combat the heat. 

Freeze fruit for a delicious snack (grapes and kiwi fruit are my favorites) and make sure to BBQ lean chicken skewers instead of sausages. Instead of the calorie laden cheese platters are family gatherings, cut up carrot, celery and zucchini to snack on with hummus or avocado dips. 

Fitness in Fall (Autumn) and Winter by Emily Stone

If you are in the currently chilly Norther Hemisphere, you will be feeling the chill of the impeding winter. While colder weather brings with it sledding, snowball fights, ice skating and too many cups of hot cocoa, for those who are easily discouraged by the cold, the approach of winter could also mean the demise of your workout routine.

Fear not hibernators, the winter weather doesn’t have to mean your health & fitness has to go into hiding too. With a little preparation, and a few helpful tips, you can keep up a routine that will carry you through to spring.

Dress smart

If you choose to continue with outdoor workouts (kudos to you) be sure to dress smart. While you may want to wear every sweatshirt in your closet to stay warm, it is actually a better idea to only wear one or two layers of clothing. Yes, you may be a bit chilly at first, but as soon as you start moving, you will warm up rather quickly, and you don’t want your body to overheat. 

A good idea is to wear lighter layers, so you can remove them as needed throughout your workout. Fitness magazine has great ideas for winter workout clothes if you’re in need.

Plan ahead

One of the best ways to stick to your workout schedule is to plan in advance. Check the weather for the week ahead. If some days are going to be little warmer than others, perhaps on those days you will plan to run outside. If you know on a specific day that you will have to work later than normal, try to get your workout done in the morning before you head out. With the busy holiday season, schedules can get a bit crazy. I find it helpful to keep workout clothes in my car or office, that way I can squeeze in a quick workout when the time permits. 

Take your workouts indoors

There are plenty of workouts that are effective AND can be done in the comfort of our own, warm home. If you don’t have any workout machines, improvise! A stability ball and a set of weights are enough to get a full body workout. I recently purchased both from Beachbody. You can also try out an at-home workout video. Nowadays, there are videos for all types of workouts - dance, kickboxing, martial arts, yoga – you name it, there is most likely a video for it. Find one that interests you and give it a go. Try YouTube to test some out for free.

The winter is a cozy time a year, filled with family, friends, hot drinks, and sweet treats. It’s easy to hide under big sweaters and coats, but if you let your fitness routine take the backseat for too long, you will emerge from your winter slumber a few pounds heavier, and a serious fear of trying on your neglected bathing suit. If you don't let your fitness slip, you will be that much more excited for the warmer months to come. 

Vegan Birthday Cake: Guest Post by Stefanie Moir

First of all thank you Amy for featuring my birthday cake on your blog!

I became a vegan at the start of this year and I am passionate about health and fitness, I try to eat wholefood every day and limit processed food and sugar.

I bought a book by Chloe Cascarelli, a vegan chef who is well known in the UK for her successful winning of a popular television show “Cupcake wars.”  Her book “Vegan Desserts by Chloe” is amazing and has several of dif
ferent sweet treats for everyone, not just vegans.

I decided to take on the mixed berry shortcake as my birthday cake; I should let you in on a secret that this was risky as I have never made a full cake from scratch never mind a vegan cake! I also set myself a challenge to make a cake that was sugar and gluten free. With my track record of failed attempts looming in the background I went at it … for about 3 hours!

Not only was I nervous about this cake and how it would turn out, taste, look, but also what all my family would think of it too (they are not too big on the idea of desserts being healthy).  I will tell you this, not only was this cake vegan, gluten free, and free from added sugar, it was delicious and a huge hit with all my family! My gran even snuck an extra piece home in her purse.


Vegan Mixed Berry Shortcake

Ingredients

Dry

• 400 grams plain white gluten and wheat free flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 30 tsp of stevia or xylitol
• ¼ tsp xanthum gum

Wet

• 360 ml almond milk
• 200 grams of coconut oil melted
• 2 tbsp vanilla extract

Filling and topping

Homemade Berry Jam

• 400 grams of fresh or frozen berries
• Juice of 1 lemon

Coconut Cream

• 2 tins full fat coconut milk refrigerated over night

Method:

1. Mix all your dry ingredients in one bowl and mix all your wet together in a separate bowl
2. Transfer wet mixture into dry and whilst together until just combined nicely
3. Separate the mixture into two 9 inch cake tins and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes at 175 degrees
4. Whilst this cooks make your jam filling by placing your mixed berries and lemon juice in a saucepan and simmering until all melted down together, you will need to stir continuously for about 15 minutes
5. Set the jam aside once its ready and prepare your coconut cream
6. The coconut cream requires the hard part of the coconut milk which forms overnight in the fridge. This is probably only about half of each can DO NOT USE THE WET MILK UNDERNEATH this will ruin your cream, even just a little moisture will affect your whipped cream consistency.
7. Using this hard milk hand whisk it with a tsp or two of stevia/xylitol.  It will become creamy and peak a little, keep in a sealed container overnight in the fridge to increase fluffiness
8. To assemble the cake, WAIT UNTIL THE SPONGE COOLS and layer one cake with the jam and half of your cream mixture. Put the other cake on top and top with the rest of the cream and some fresh berries. 
9. Hope you enjoy! I know I sure did! 

Protein Truffles

These protein truffles are filled with essential fats and are low in sugar, making them the perfect snack in between meals.

Protein Truffles

Ingredients:

• 2 scoops of protein powder in chocolate or vanilla (I use Sunwarrior Vanilla)
• 1/4 cup of sultanas or chopped dates
• 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup of chia seeds (I used a mix of black and white)
• 1/4 cup of LSA
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 5 - 6 tablespoons of hot water 
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil
• To coat: 2 tablespoons of cacao powder mixed with 1 tablespoon of stevia/extra chia seeds

Method:

1. Mix together all the dry ingredients. Add the oil and a few tablespoons of water. Combine until the mixture starts to come together to form a dough. Keep adding water until the mixture is firm but not too sticky. 
2. Roll the mixture into bite-sizes balls and coat with cacao mix and/or chia seeds.
3. Let set in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.