Recipe: Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Cookies are delicious and they can be healthy too! Forget about the processed high sugar cookies and tuck into these wholesome goodies instead. All of the ingredients used in these cookies have their own health benefits:

• Oats contain a type of fibre, beta-glucan, which helps to lower cholesterol and controls blood sugar levels. By lowering cholesterol the risk of heart disease is reduced. 
• Bananas are a rich source of potassium which lowers blood pressure and they also have a low GI maintaining stable blood sugar levels. 
• Dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher) is full of antioxidants, like polyphenols and flavonols, that improves blood flow and insulin sensitivity. 
• Walnuts are very high in the omega-3 alpha linoleic acid which lowers cholesterol and improves cardiovascular health. Walnuts also contain anti-inflammatory phytonutrients which can help protect against certain cancers. 
• Cinnamon is a spice derived from the bark of the cinnamon tree. It contains essential oils such as cinnamaldehyde which helps to prevent blood clots. 

These oatmeal cookies are super easy to make with only two base ingredients and you could add mix-ins to your liking. For this recipe I would add no more than half a cup of extra mix-ins otherwise the cookies may not hold together. Hope you enjoy these cookies as much as I do :)

Banana Oatmeal Cookies (Makes 8)
Ingredients 

• 1 cup blended oats 
• 2 ripe bananas 
• 1/4 cup 85% dark chocolate
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts 
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius. 

Mash bananas with the blended oats until is all combined into a nice dough. 

Thoroughly mix in the dark chocolate, walnuts and cinnamon so that everything is evenly mixed in. 

Put spoonfuls of cookie dough onto a lined baking tray and shape into round disks.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. 

Allow to cool before serving. 

Look at that deliciously melty chocolate!

Recipe: Baked Barramundi with Sweet Potato Chips

Whether you're single or in a relationship, I hoped everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day. 

I myself is still part of the singles party, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a lovely Valentine's Day dinner (with my mum). Saturday night's dinner consisted of rosemary and thyme baked barramundi with purple sweet potato chips and blanched bok choy. 

This dish tasted amazing and the fact that half of it was vegetables makes it even better! Brimming with macro and micronutrients, here's a little low-down of the nutritional benefits of what this meal offers:

  

Barramundi is a source of omega-3 fatty acids which can help prevent heart disease and is important for brain development in young children. 

Sweet potato chips are usually made with orange sweet potatoes (kumera) but purple ones work just fine. Purple sweet potatoes are not only high in fibre for good gut health, they also contain contain the antioxidant anthocyanin which reduces harmful free radicals in the body. 

To add a bit of green to the plate I went with bok choy, a very popular Asian green leafy vegetable with a subtle sweet taste. Bok choy is also teaming with antioxidants and is a rich source of vitamins A, C and K. Vitamin A as many of you may know is important for keeping your eyes healthy. Vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid) aids in the absorption of iron and helps to form collagen (for nice and firm skin :D). Lastly, vitamin K is necessary for blood clotting. 

I hope you like this simple yet delicious recipe. 

Baked Barramundi with Sweet Potato Chips 

Ingredients 

• 2 x 150 g barramundi fillets 
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp thyme 
• Salt and pepper to season 
• 1 large purple sweet potato 
• 2 bunches of bok choy 
• 1 tbsp + 2 tsp rice bran oil 

Preheat oven to 180 C. 

Cut the sweet potato into chip shaped batons and soak in a bowl of water for 30 min. Drain and dry thoroughly. Evenly coat the sweet potato with 1 tbsp of rice bran oil and spread out on a baking tray in a single layer. Sprinkle over with black pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile season the barramundi fillets with salt and pepper. Evenly sprinkle the rosemary and thyme over the two fillets. Place skin side up on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle skin with the remaining oil. 

After baking the sweet potato chips for 20 minutes, turn each chip to bake the other side. Place the fish in the oven and bake together with the chips for 15 minutes. 

Whilst the fish and chips are baking, wash the bok choy and segment the bunches into quarters. Cook in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and arrange on the serving plate. 

When the fish and chips have finished baking, plate up and enjoy :)