Overnight oats with a twist

Today's blog is about oats, they are incredibly healthy, versatile and delicious.

First up - 7 reasons why you should eat oats! 

1. It's a low calorie food; it stops cravings. A cup is only 130 calories! And because it fills up and keeps you feel full longer, you will have less hunger and cravings.

2. Provides high levels of fiber, low levels of fat, and high levels of protein. It’s on the short list for the highest protein levels of any grain.

3. Stabilises blood sugar and reduces risk of diabetes (type 2). Eating oats can spread the rise in blood sugars over a longer time period.

4. Removes your bad cholesterol (without affecting your good cholesterol).Many studies have shown that the unique fiber in oatmeal called beta-glucan, has beneficial effects on cholesterol levels

5. Contains unique antioxidants, beneficial for heart disease. A study at Tufts University shows that the unique antioxidants in oatmeal called called avenanthramides, help prevent free radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. 

6. Enhances Immune respons to infections. Oats contain beta glucan, which appears to help speed up response to infection, which may result in faster healing. 

7. It tastes damn good!!

So enough of the reasons why you should eat oats, time for a delicious recipe so you will definitely eat some ;-) 

My overnight oats with a twist

Ingredients

30 gram of oats

100 ml almond milk

100 ml soy yogurt

2 small fresh figs

some raspberries and blueberries

cinnamon

optional: stevia

If you would like to have this dish for breakfast, start prepping it the night before. That means grabbing a bowl, and combine oats, milk and yogurt with a good amount of cinnamon. If you have a sweet tooth you can add some stevia. That's it for now, then when you wake up the next morning, you grab your bowl and garnish with the fresh figs and berries. Easy, healthy, nutritional benefits AND delicious what more do you want?

psssst: Check the website tomorrow for some real food porn with oats as the main ingredient ;-) 

My restaurant meals

Because I'm a full time model, I have to eat a lot of not-home prepared meals. Of course there isn't always a healthy option, but I always try to make THE best option possible. So, today's blog is about my meal choices last week!

Today I was working in Köln, I left home without packing food (stuuuuupid)! For lunch there were only white baguettes with pork meat, exactly what I'm really allergic for so luckily they ordered a whole wheat bun with brie cheese. Not really good, but hey! For dinner I took a take away treat sushi with a tuna salad!

Yesterday I had a birthday dinner With home made spelt pizza, fresh salad an chicken saté with peanut sauce. Lovely!

As you have seen, I also worked in Dusseldorf this week. For a late lunch I had a lovely salmon carrot-squash puree. Sooooo good! In the evening I was craving weekend food, some cheeses, nuts and wine.. Sometimes you have to indulge ;) 

Last week one of my friends visited me, we drove to a lovely restaurant at the lake where I had a lovely goat cheese salad with calvados apple. 

Ofcourse I owe you some of my home made healthy meals from last week.. Recipes and updates will be online soon!

Easy Sundays

It's Sunday, that means time to relax and not doing all too much. That's why I decided to write a blog on every Sunday that is all about "easy". Food in seconds, easy to prepare, not to much work but still mind blowing in taste. 

My first blog is about one of my favourite snacks - Bonbons. It's perfect when you are at home and want to eat something healthy, snacky, delicious without standing in the kitchen for too long.


You just need a few ingredients

Bananas
Shredded coconut
peanut butter (chunky is my favourite)
strawberries, blueberries, cherries or raspberries

If you use frozen fruit, make sure they are room temperature first. Slice the bananas, spoon a bit of peanut butter on top, sprinkle with shredded coconut and serve with a blueberry, raspberry, cherry or strawberry on top. Done - Delicious!

Easy home made gluten free crackers

Yes I eat bread, I eat crackers and I loooooove it! My parents and my boyfriends parents came for a wonderful dinner at my house. I prepared a big tapas feast for all of them and of course there had to be some bread and crackers to start off. I wanted to make it all a bit healthier so I chose to make some gluten free crackers.

Ingredients

150 gram almond flour
15 gram linseed
1 egg white
a bit of rosemary (fresh is better but dried is fine as well)
1 spoon of olive oil
a pinch of sea salt

Preheat the oven on 175 degrees (Celsius). Mix up all of the ingredients except for the salt until you firmed a ball of dough. Place a sheet of baking paper on a flat surface, then the ball of dough, another sheet of baking powder and roll the pastry until they are very thin. Cut them with a sharp knife into the shape and size you like, sprinkle the sea salt on top and roast them crunchy and golden brown in the oven for about 14 minutes. Flip them gently over and put them for 4 more minutes in the oven. Let them cool down and enjoy like they are as a snack, with some cheese, dips or some mashed avocado on top!

tip: I guess they would be wonderful as a sweet cracker with cinnamon and some maple syrup, or pesto and some Parmesan cheese and onion and herb spices!

On the go

Yesterday I had a job for Wrangler in Dusseldorf. These kind of jobs always means being on the road, so to prepare my own food and snacks is for me the key to stay healthy and fit!

After a good breakfast with my homemade granola, my 3 hours trip to Germany began. First things first, I quickly drove to the hotel to check in and drop my stuff. By that time it was past noon and I was starving. I had no idea if there would be lunch on set and what we would get get for lunch. So I grabbed one of my homemade wraps! And oh my,  I was so happy I brought some food with me this time. On set they prepared chili con carne with minced pork for lunch, since I'm allergic for pork I couldn't eat it plus there wasn't enough food for everyone so by the time I finished my fitting there was only some rice with a creamy sauce with potatoes left.

Choices were made quickly, hello delicious home made wrap!

Ingredients
For the wraps
100 gram chickpea flour
25 gram spelt flour
80 ml almond milk or soy milk
120 ml water
1 egg
pinch of salt
olive oil

For the filling
Avocado
Spring onions
Cucumber
Fresh spinach
Smoked salmon
Squeeze of lemon
salt and pepper

To start off making these wraps, you need a bowl and a mixer. Start with the dry ingredients and mix them in a big bowl. Make a small whole in the middle and crack the egg in there. Mix the dough and then you can add all the other ingredients from the list including a tablespoon of olive oil. Then you have to let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes. In this time you can prepare the filling for the wrap. I chose smoked salmon, cottage cheese, spinach, avocado and cucumber with a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper.

After chopping your veggies it's time to bake your wraps. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a preheated pan and with a big spoon you can divide some of the mixture in the pan, make sure you make your crêpes/wraps very thin. Continue baking until the mixture is finished, now fill as much as wraps as you like and you're done cover them with some aluminium foil to they are on-the-go ready.


Backstage Hair & Make Up + a part of the model team before the show began.

Skinny dinner

Today I will share another recipe that is inspired on my trip in Capetown last year. It's a very healthy vegetarian dinner (or lunch) because it contains healthy fats from the avocado and almonds (also full of protein and vitamin E, hello gorgeous skin and hair), complex carbs and protein from the worlds healthiest grain in the world: quinoa, and one of my favourite vegetables; eggplant. 

Ingredients:

1 eggplant

1 avocado

2 handfuls of almonds

rocket

fresh cilantro

fresh parsley

2 tablespoons of raisins soaked in hot water

Slice the eggplant in pieces and arrange them on a big plate with kitchen paper. Gently sprinkle some salt on them, put another kitchen paper on top and put something heavy on it. This way you will get some of the liquid out of the eggplant so by the time the eggplant will see the pan, it won't completely suck up all of the oil and becomes greasy! 

Next grab a coffee mug and fill with red quinoa (or any other kind) and place it in the pot with 2 cups of boiling water, a teaspoon of cinnamon and let it cook until done. When finished cooking gently mix it up with a fork so it becomes fluffy and give it some space to "unsteam". Heat a frying pan with a few table spoons of good olive oil, fry the eggplant until brown and caramelised and sprinkle with pepper (NO salt because you already did). 

Your dinner is almost ready now at this point! Grab a big plate and start with a big handful of rocket with a bit of the fresh herbs on it, combine the raisins with the quinoa and put as much as you like on the rocket. 

Next up the eggplant, almonds and avocado, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and dig in! 

The most important meal of the day

After all my preparation time the last few weeks,  my Blog went finally online yesterday. It was amazing to see the responses and I'm happy you like it so far. If you do have any questions please do ask, also for tips you can always email me (hungryforhealthyfood@gmail.com) or contact me on Facebook.

Because I'm a full time model one of the first responses on my blog was; "I'll keep an eye on your blog for tips & tricks because I want to lose some weight". Of course, the holiday season is over and we all have eaten a bit too much ;-) For me, personally, it's always about going back on track. Stop eating the junk and start clean eating again. After all the junk food, sugars and processed carbs it's important to eliminate them out of your diet straight away.

For me breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I absolutely love having breakfast and it's the first thing I think off when waking up. With a good breakfast you will feel satisfied and less snacks throughout the day. My breakfast always contains fruit and some form of protein.

Recently I discovered quinoa Pops, a low calorie gluten free grain which I turned into the most delicious healthy granola ever!

Ingredients:

1 cup of quinoa pops (just fill a coffee mug)
1/2 a cup of kasha (roasted buckwheat)
a teaspoon of cinnamon
1,5 table spoon of coconut oil
2 spoons of maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla aroma
a handful of mixed nuts and seeds, I love pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds and pecans.
a handful of raisins and goji berries

To make the granola preheat an oven on 180 degrees (Celsius). Grab a big pan and start to heat the oil and maple syrup, when it's all liquid you can add the cinnamon and vanilla. Now you can add the quinoa pops, kasha and nuts. Bake the granola for about 3-5 minutes and keep on stirring. If the mixture is to wet stir in some more quinoa pops, when it's a bit to dry stir in a bit more maple syrup. Transfer the mixture into a baking dish and put it 10 more minutes in the oven. Let it cool down a bit and sprinkle some of the mixture in your morning bowl with soy yogurt and fresh fruit!

My all-time favorite lunch dish

Today I will share one of my all-time favourite lunch recipes with you!

Last year I lived in Capetown, South Africa for quite some time. In this city the food culture is amazing, everything there is fresh and healthy. I didn't expect that to find in South Africa, at all.. but many city's can learn from them.
Over there I had my favourite lunch hot-spots, like Skinny Legs & all (www.skinnylegsandall.co.za) for breakfast and lunch, Hudsons (www.hudsons.co.za) for the best burgers in town, for breakfast you had to visit Knead (www.knead.co.za) and I can go on for ever and ever! This recipe is inspired on a dish they sold in a tiny little vegan take-away restaurant which I don't even know the name of.. shame on me!


Ingredients:
2 parsnips in pieces
A big chunk of diced butternut
1 cooked beetroot
4 spoons of corn
1 red onion, roughly chopped
mixed lettuce with rocket
hummus (preferably homemade)
pesto genovese (preferably homemade)
2 spoons of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

To make this dish, preheat an oven on 225 degrees (Celsius). Prepare a baking dish with baking powder and arrange the veggies on it. sprinkle some olive oil, salt, pepper and the balsamic vinegar on top. Roast the vegetables in the oven until cooked and golden brown. Grab a bowl and fill it with a big handful of lettuce, arrange the vegetables on top and serve with a big spoon of hummus and a tablespoon of pesto on top.

Bon Appetit!

Tip: You can change the vegetables as you like, for example I also love to use sweet potato, red bell pepper and cooked green beans for this dish.

Healthy Banana Bread

Who doesn't know and love Banana bread? Well if you don't you are seriously missing out..

Nowadays there are probably a million recipes for banana bread, but in this blog I'll show you my healthy variation.

I'm sharing this recipe with you, because my sister asked me to bake her a banana bread. She just gave birth to a wonderful little boy named Sem and loves this bread so much. Because she has to give Sem breast-feeding day and night, it's very very important for her to eat healthy and regular. A piece of banana bread is a perfect breakfast or a snacking option! This recipe doesn't contain any cows milk, her daughter has an intolerance so it's most likely Sem has an in toleration as well. Therefor this recipe is safe for her and her entire family. Enough with the talking, it's now time to share one of my favourite recipes with you all.

Coconut Banana Bread

Ingredients:
180 grams of spelt flour
60 grams of rolled oats
100 ml of coconut rice milk
3 heaping spoons of unsweetened applesauce
3 big ripe mashed bananas
1 egg
1 big teaspoon vanilla aroma
1 big handful of raisins
40 grams of roughly chopped walnuts
15 grams of linseed's
1 spoon of baking powder
a dash of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cookie spices
1 spoon stevia sugar
optional some spelt flakes on top

To make the bread, preheat the oven to 180 Celsius and pray a loaf pan with olive oil spray to prevent the bread to stick to the loaf.
Combine all the wet ingredients in a bowl, the banana, applesauce, egg, coconut milk, vanilla until well combined and creamy. In separate medium bowl whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cookie spices. Add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined (don't over mix it!)

Pour the mixture into the loaf pan, sprinkle the spelt flakes on top (if desired) and bake the bread for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean with a few crumbs attached.

Remove from oven and place on a  wire rack to cool completely. Cut into slices and enjoy!



Serving suggestion: Serve hot with a dollop op peanut butter and maple syrup.

Welcome to Hungry For Healthy Food

I am a dutch girl that lives in Groningen, the Netherlands with my boyfriend Guus.

After finishing my master degree in Law, being a model is my full time job. But one of my biggest passion is food, I love to cook and love to eat.

My passion for food started a couple of years ago. I got sick, had a major kidney inflammation and an appendix operation at the same time. After that, I started to have trouble with digesting all kinds of food. I kept being sick and had a lot of pain in my tummy. Because the doctors couldn't help me out I started to buy a lot of books about food and started to do a lot of research myself. From that moment on, I'm an addict, a sucker for good food.

Because several people pushed me to do something with my biggest hobby and passion I decided to develop a blog. So there you go, I'm online!

I travel, I cook, I eat and I love it!
And that's where my blog will be all about - I hope you'll enjoy and stick around.

xx Claudia