The Green Kitchen: Apple Spinach Smoothie

The clock ticks by as if a cog is broken but instead of slowing down, it accelerates. Each time I glance at it, I am aware more time has passed. Five minutes. An hour. Suddenly I'm looking down the barrel at Friday when it was only Monday a few moments ago, wasn't it?

This week has blurred right by me. If I stop to think about all the tasks I have completed or at least started I can somehow account for the lost time but it doesn't seem to make me feel any kind of reassurance. Time is time.

I'm calling it. This is the moment to recharge with a healthy meal on the run. Sure I'm busy and off to work on the next project in a few short hours. Who cares? This girl must eat and what I put into my body, the fuel, the sustenance is what is most important when all other systems are flashing their red warning lights and blaring their alarms.

It's time to nourish.

Apple Spinach Smoothie
Serves 1

1 Red Delicious apple, cored, skin on
1 large handful of baby spinach
1 Tbs unsweetened Greek or natural yoghurt
1/2 cup chilled, unsweetened organic almond milk
1 tsp ground hemp seeds
1 tsp maca root powder
*1/8 tsp Spirulina (optional)
*small handful of ice cubes (optional for a chilled smoothie)

Place all ingredients into a blender, pulse until smooth. Savour on the go.

Be kind to yourself. Drink this. You'll feel better, I promise.

Bella xx

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Apple and Walnut Crumble Loaf

I love baking. Love it. When friends come to stay I make an effort to ensure they wake up to the delicious aromas of home cooking, like this moist teacake.

Apple and Walnut Crumble Loaf

Crumble Topping

3/4 cup walnuts
1 Tbs raw sugar
1 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Moist Loaf

1 large Granny Smith apple (approximately 180g)
120g unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup raw caster sugar
2 large free range eggs
3/4 cup gluten free self raising flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup gluten free cornflour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
3/4 cup organic full cream milk
1 1/2 Tbs Calvados apple brandy

Grease a standard (23 x 13 x 7 cm) loaf tin, line with baking paper. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit).

For the crumble: Roughly chop the walnuts, stir in the sugars and spices and set aside. If you have a food processor or Magic Bullet, pulse the crumble taking care not to make it too fine.

For the moist cake: Peel, core and grate the apple into a small bowl. In an electric mixer (helloooo beautiful red Kitchen Aid!), cream the softened butter with the raw caster sugar (I use a Magic Bullet blender to turn raw sugar into caster sugar). Once thick and creamy, add one egg and beat, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the second egg and beat until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, sift the flours, cinnamon and baking powder together. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter with 1/4 cup of the milk, beat until just incorporated taking care not to over beat the mixture. Fold in the grated apple and brandy (brandy is optional). If the batter is stiff, add milk a 1/4 cup at a time.

Pour half of the batter into the loaf tin, sprinkle evenly with half of the crumble then pour over the rest of the batter. Sprinkle loaf with the remaining crumble and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the loaf tin for several minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

This delicious loaf will rouse your guests from their slumber; expect to see them float sleepily to the breakfast table, led by their inquisitive noses. Serve thick, warm slices of this moist cake with or without a smear of creamy butter.

Gluten free, delicious, and worth savouring every mouthful over a hot cup of tea as you plan your day.

Love Bella xx

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Kiss Me Smoothie with Hemp Oil

I've just had the most incredible weekend (colourful photo diary to follow soon!).

Today was a throwback to Summer. Hot, dry heat blistered the tar on the road as I squinted under a bright blue sky. We arrived home this afternoon, after having missed lunch due to the scenic, long drive. I unpacked the car and lugged our weekend bags, cameras and laptop inside as my sticky shirt clung uncomfortably to my skin. The puppy made a half dozen or so pit-stops on the grassy lawn before racing up the front steps to refuel with a fresh bowl of water and collapsing on the cool floor for a nap. Too impatient toss together a salad, yet unable to decide what I wanted to eat I opted instead for a fresh berry and banana smoothie with a spicy ginger kick and healthy organic hemp oil (you'll notice that I couldn't wait to take a picture, I had a mouthful first, it's that delicious!).

Lunch dilemma solved!

Kiss Me Smoothie

Serves 2-3

2 bananas
100g fresh strawberries (2 small handfuls)
50g fresh blueberries (1 small handful)
2 tsp hemp oil
1 tsp finely grated ginger
*3/4 cup cloudy apple juice
ice optional

Blend all the ingredients together. Add half a tray of ice cubes to your blender if you would prefer a chilled smoothie. I opted for no ice when I made my smoothie this afternoon so I could glug it down quickly and it was beautiful. Sweet pieces of ruby red strawberries, indigo blueberries and creamy yellow banana in a thick pink smoothie, enhanced by fresh ginger.

*Fresh apple juice would be lovely, however I have also blended this smoothie with apricot nectar and it is DIVINE!!!

Super foods? Tick!
Essential fatty acids in organic hemp oil? Tick!
Obtaining dietary essential fatty acids through a renewable source that does not deplete our oceans fish populations? Tick!
Vegan? Tick!
Gluten Free? Tick!
Healthy? Tick!
Tasty? You bet!

I've developed a bit of a love affair with hemp oil. Our choice of hemp oil is certified organic, made in Australia and filled with all the benefits you should look for when incorporating an oil into your diet. Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, a delicious nutty flavour, it can boost a weakened immune system, aid digestion and hormonal imbalance and acts as a natural moisturiser for hair and skin. We usually have one teaspoon per day, either by the teaspoonful or in a drink such as this gorgeous smoothie.

This right here is a refreshing smoothie that tastes so sweet and inviting and with the added bonus of incredible health benefits, you'll want to kiss the person who made it for you... And Byron did!

Happy weekend dear friends!

Bella xx

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