Nutrient Upgrade Challenge.

Convenience foods are everywhere and due to a lack of time and money they have become a staple in a lot of our diets however they’re wreaking havoc on our health and well-being.

It’s time for change! The biggest barriers to nutritious old school meals are; time and money. I’ve set myself a mission to find & share practical short-cuts to get real food back in yours, and your families bodies.

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Brief;

This week is my cereal upgrade - millions of people jump on a sugar roller-coaster everyday by starting their day with cereal or bread, you can read why I don’t advise that here; Say goodbye to cravings, if you can part with whole-grains! As well as effecting your blood sugar, eating too many carbohydrates in the morning can leave you feeling sluggish and even effect the quality of your sleep. Always start your day with a big glass of H2O then use this recipe to increase energy levels, mental clarity and problem solving capabilities.

 

You will need;

Knife, Chopping board, bowl, storage jar.

 

Ingredients to make 10-12 servings;

• 500g bag of mixed raw nuts
• 100g raisins (or other dried fruit)
• 100g of coconut flakes
• 25g sunflower seeds
• 25g pumpkin seeds

 

Method;

The best thing about this recipe is you can put your own personal spin on it. I roughly chop 3/4 of the nuts then mix all ingredients together in the bowl before transferring to the storage jar. But you could add flax seeds, goji berries, sliced almonds, Brazil nuts - literally what ever tickles your taste buds. I even had leftovers to make emergency trail snack-bags.

 

 

To Serve;

This is much more filling than the processed shop bought cereals which means you will only need a fraction of the quantity, plus to aid digestion make sure you slow down and chew your food properly. Mix 4-6 tablespoons of the cereal with full fat Greek yogurt and a handful of berries to pack an anti-oxidant punch. Although the amount in the bowl looks smaller than usual, your belly will tell you otherwise!

 

Is it worth the effort & cost?

Nut’s aren’t cheap so although organic raw nuts from a health shop would be the best option, I’m all about progress not perfection. I got everything in the first picture from Lidl for £7.48 about the same price as bag of granola (£3.60) & five snacks (approx 80p each) = £7.60. The only difference is the nut crunch has a much higher nutrient value, meaning you probably won’t even need an emergency nut snack bag. As for time, it took me under 5 minutes to know I’ve got breakfast sorted for busy mornings! Keep in an airtight container and this mixture will last as long as the nuts sell by date.

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Have Fun Prepping!

Pip x