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Showing posts from tagged with: healthy breakfast

Spring is upon us..become a Morning person!

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17.03.16

Whether you're a morning person or you're not..lifestyle factors can pretty much change this with almost immediate effect! With everyone constantly and increasingly on-the-go all the time, there is almost an unspoken expectation to not give yourself time off, not have any time down, and constantly people measuring commitment/success by the amount of shut-eye they had the previous night. We’ve decided to come up with a few ways this can be changed, so that even the sleepiest of us can enjoy the mornings as they become lighter with a few simple lifestyle changes..

CUT THE CAFFEINE!

It’s easy to get into a habit of relying on caffeine filled drinks to get you through the day, however drinking a coffee close to your bed time will most likely be a culprit to disturbing your sleep. For some people this doesn’t affect their sleep too much, however due to it being a stimulant it will undoubtedly disrupt most people’s. It can be found in more than just your daily coffee though, so avoiding chocolate with high levels of cacao is also going to help your sleep be the best quality it can be. With work schedules so demanding, it’s important to ensure, if you want to be the morning person you envisage yourself becoming, that you cut the caffeine mid afternoon each day. Instead, enjoy water infused with fresh fruit for a flavour kick and green tea to waken you up. This-Tropical-Green-Smoothie-is-one-of-my-favorite-green-smoothies-loaded-with-spinach-pineapples-orange-juice-and-bananas.-Its-only-255-calories-and-deliciously-smooth-4  

CHANGE YOUR PATTERN

Start by going to bed even half an hour earlier, an hour, or more, and increase the shift in hours as your body clock becomes more used to it.. Although getting your “beauty sleep” isn’t strictly true for beauty purposes, there is definitely something to be said about getting the zzz’s in before the clock strikes 12. Aside from the fact that many of us have to be up by 7ish in the morning, the way getting into bed a couple of hours before midnight will change your mood for the day is astounding.

EXERCISE BEFORE BREAKFAST

Going to bed at night knowing that you will be waking up with a plan to exercise will motivate you to go to bed earlier and in turn, wake up earlier to complete your work out. By setting tasks like this perhaps once or twice a week, you will not only set up a great foundation for sleeping well each night, but will also be setting up your day with lots of energy.. oh and to add to that, your exercise for the day will be done, so no carrying trainers and work out clothes with you all day anymore! Woohoo you can tick off a productive task straight away   d-300x300

EAT LIKE A KING

As the saying states, “Eat breakfast like a King, Lunch like a queen..”. After your morning work out session, the best way to refuel for the day ahead is to have a truly hearty but healthy breakfast. Having something like overnight oats, a bowl of porridge, or avocado and eggs on toast sprinkled with seeds will give you the nutrients you need to power through a long day and, if you know what you’re having the night before, you will undoubtedly look forward to eating it in the morning - what better way to become a morning person?

PREP

Simple but effective, planning in advance is always going to put you in good stead whether you like it or not, and annoyingly enough, always proves right! By moving your alarm to the other side of the room, you will be forced to get up to turn it off, and let’s face it, once you’re up, well you’re up! If you are planning to get up slightly earlier than would be standard for your early morning wake ups, get your clothes ready and laid out the night before so that it doesn’t take long to change in the morning and no thought has to be put into the outfit either. Also, ensure you prepare your breakfast, as it won’t only save you time, but it will allow you to be happy in the knowledge that you will be eating something good in the morning. Screen Shot 2015-08-20 at 12.06.42   Try this delicious Giving Tree breakfast of naturally flavoured fruit yogurt and strawberry crisps!

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February is heart month, show it some love!

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02.02.16

There’s Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14, of course — but this is also Heart Month and on February 5th its the British Heart Foundation National Heart day, dedicated to raising awareness of heart health.

Heart and circulatory disease takes the lives of more than 400 people in the UK each day. So let’s get red everywhere and help raise money for the British Heart Foundation’s life saving research.

We can use this month to raise awareness about heart disease and how people can prevent it — both at home and in the community.

Some simple ways to ensure keeping your heart healthy come from the following;

- A healthy diet rich in heart healthy foods (oily fish, avocado, grains, legumes, tomatoes and berries)

Try making some fantastic heart healthy recipes using our Giving Tree snacks - our strawberry crisps make the perfect addition to yogurt, porridge, smoothies, juices and even a substitute to fresh strawberries in baking! With all the same nutrition as fresh and 1 of your 5 a day you can't go wrong.

- Limiting alcohol in the diet

- Exercising -  Physical activity can help reduce your risk of heart disease. It can also help you control your weight, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol and improve your mental health – helping you to look and feel great.

- Smoking increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, which includes coronary heart disease and stroke.

  • Smoking damages the lining of your arteries, leading to a build up of fatty material (atheroma) which narrows the artery. This can cause angina, a heart attack or a stroke.
  • The carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood. This means your heart has to pump harder to supply the body with the oxygen it needs.
  • The nicotine in cigarettes stimulates your body to produce adrenaline, which makes your heart beat faster and raises your blood pressure, making your heart work harder.
Screen Shot 2015-08-20 at 12.06.42 Why not try some great fundraising activities to promote Heart Health. Invite your friends, neighbours or whole community to do somethingred and join you for a breakfast, afternoon tea, pamper evening, quiz night or even an auction to raise those pennies!

To get the pounds piling in, you can ask people to give a donation on the door, or pay to enjoy food and drinks as they go along.

If your feeling slightly more adventurous.. Bring an exercise bike into work and keep it spinning for an hour, a morning or even a whole day. Colleagues chip in to sponsor those who are cycling and wearing red.   Shop_banner760x339 Turn PE at school into a fundraising event with a laps-round-the-playground ‘marathon’ or red baton relay. Children (and teachers) can bring in £1 to take part on the day.

Not feeling so energetic? No problem. Here are some easy other ways to make fundraising a team effort at work, school, college, your toddler’s playgroup, your workout class or wherever you’ll be on Friday 5 February:

Have a dress-down day, where everyone gives a donation to participate - while wearing something red of course.

Or, donate to dress up, perhaps with a prize for the best red outfit or fancy dress. Being a tomato, Red Queen, strawberry, Spiderman or lobster could be your winning ticket.

Organise a bake sale, showcasing everyone’s talents. Watch the money roll in!

Of course, Giving Tree snacks will be brought into the help of the special Red Day..

Here is a fantastic Strawberry Giving Tree and berry recipe to keep you going before all of the activities you're going to get involved in...

Ingredients.

 Method.

Blend all ingredients and immediately consume for a deliciously heart healthy smoothie :)

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Giving Tree Granola

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13.01.16

Granola. A breakfast staple to so many of you, with granola sales up by 20% last year (Grocer uk) and so many brands to choose from its a fantastic, energy fuelling 'go to' breakfast or snack.

However, be warned.. many 'healthy' granolas are jam packed with refined sugar and dried fruit coated in sugar which in reality does not make a healthy mornings breakfast. Along with the high sugar content, many brands add fats such as palm oil to their granola which raises saturated fat levels and overall makes a pretty unhealthy breakfast, that will leave you feeling hungry faster too.

This doesn't mean to say all granolas should be tarred with the same sticky brush!

We are loving Raw Gorrilla Strawberry Crispies at the moment, a completely Raw, Gluten free, Vegan, Paleo cereal! With no additives or preservatives and blended with amazing superfoods like raw cacao, lucuma & macs it goes perfectly with Chi Coconut Milk too!

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We also LOVE making our own!

The most important bulk ingredient to the granola should be the whole oats. They are full of fibre, high in protein, and contain vitamins and minerals like folate, iron, and magnesium.  Make sure when you buy your oats, they are labelled as 100% pure whole rolled oats, nothing that says “instant” or “quick cooking or any added sugar or sweeteners!

Nuts and seeds make a fantastic addition of protein, texture, flavour and Vitamin E.  A small amount of unsweetened dried fruit is ok too, just make sure it’s unsweetened to keep the sugar content down.

Here at Giving Tree, we realised it's easier than you think to make your own delicious granola, which we found topped with Giving Tree fruit crisps makes a bowl of pure, healthy goodness!

Here's our favourite recipe, but remember you can add your own favourite additions too - just remember to check the back of ingredients and aim to avoid sweetened nuts and fruit. You can reach your own desired sweetness with the addition of coconut sugar (low GI) or a small amount of extra honey.

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Giving Tree Granola Recipe;

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp chi coconut oil
  • 3 tbsp raw, organic honey
  • 300g rolled oats
  • 50g sunflower seed
  • 4 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 50g pumpkin seeds
  • 100g flaked almond
  • 100g dried berries (find them in the baking aisle - make sure they are unsweetened)
  • 50g unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 Handful of Giving Tree Strawberry and the same quantity of Peach crisps
    Method:
    1. Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Mix the oil and honey together in a large bowl. Tip in all the remaining ingredients, except the dried fruit and coconut, and mix well.
    2. Tip the granola onto two baking sheets and spread evenly. Bake for 15 mins, then mix in the coconut and dried fruit, and bake for 10-15 mins more. Remove and scrape onto a flat tray to cool. Serve with cold milk (chi coconut milk tastes delicious on the granola),  yogurt and or as a snack to go! Don't forget to add your Giving Tree fruit crisps on top for a delicious and nutritious crunch!
    3. The granola can be stored in an airtight container for up to a month.

    Happy munching :)

    We love to hear from you so please feel free to say hello and tell us what you think of our snacks!

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