Recipe: Spiced Breakfast Berry Shake

As you can see, I've been into my shakes lately. I find that it is the easiest way to get all the good stuff your body needs, all in one go. Eating healthy meals takes planning, and sometimes, my brain just gets tired of doing it. With the right shakes, you can substitute your meals with shakes or have it on the side to complement your meal.

This is not your regular berry fruit drink. But then again, I don't think any recipe on this site is regular. This berry shake has added spices like turmeric, cinnamon and ginger that contain added health benefits. You may be skeptical about it tasting good, but trust me, it is! Another great thing about shakes is that it's a great way to sneak in ingredients that you may not necessarily have on a regular basis. This is a great tactic for your the little kids in the family...and big kids too! The ginger may be a bit too much for some so I have listed that as optional.

Turmeric and cinnamon are considered superfoods, which simply means that it has a high nutrient content and disease-fighting agents. Turmeric, cinnamon and ginger have all been identified as cancer-fighting ingredients, along with a long list of other health benefits like its anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and immune-enhancing properties.

This recipe yields 1 1/4 cups.

Spiced Berry Breakfast Shake
- 1 cup of frozen mixed berries, slightly thawed
- 1 ripe banana, frozen and peeled
- 1/2 cup of almond milk
- 4-6 Tbsp of rolled oats or your favourite muesli (less will give a smoother consistency)
- 4 Brazil nuts
- 2 Tbsp of flax oil
- 1/8 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp of turmeric
- 1 small nob of peeled ginger, approx 1 inch x 1 inch (optional)

Method
1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour shake into a cup and enjoy.

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Lemon Strawberry Yogurt Loaf

Lemons and Stawberries. Strawberries and Lemons. Doesn't that just scream summer to you?

A few good friends of ours all gave birth around the same time so we are surrounded by babies this summer. Look how precious she looks. Only 8 days old!

To celebrate, I decided to bake this delicious dense yogurt loaf filled with strawberries and lemons. Hope you're all having a wonderful summer so far!

Lemon Strawberry Yogurt Loaf
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp of baking powder
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 3/4 cup of plain low fat Greek style yogurt
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp of almond extract
- 3 large egg whites
- 2 tsp of lemon zest
- 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
- 2 cups of fresh strawberries, small slices

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350F/175C.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together the yogurt and sugar. Slowly add the yogurt and sugar, egg whites, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, and almond extract to the dry ingredients and whisk slowly. When the mixture is almost smooth, slowly add in the vegetable oil and continue to whisk slowly until perfectly smooth. Fold in the strawberries until evenly distributed.

3. Lightly grease a loaf pan (9x5x3 inches), and line it with parchment paper. Lightly grease and flour the pan lined with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the pan.

4. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan, let it cool on a cooling rack, and serve.

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