Australian clinical nutritionist and health blogger Jessica Sepel is aware of that and has come up with ``healthier'' versions of family favourites like coco pops, cinnamon scrolls and tomato sauce in her latest book Living the Healthy Life.
Aware of the backlash against fad diets excluding food groups, Sepel emphasises the need to find the right food choices for the individual, to stop the guilt surrounding food and to overcome body stress and anxiety.
Along with an 8-week plan to improve a person's nutrition and relationship with food, she includes recipes, helpful tips and hints.
Her aim, she says, is to make healthy eating fun, simple and delicious.
Photos supplied.
Healthy coco pops
Your kiddies will truly fall in love with this recipe. A must for all healthy mums, bubs and teenagers.
Prep time: 50 minutes, including cooking, cooling time
Makes 4½ cups
Ingredients
3 cups rice puffs
1 cup slivered almonds
2 Tbsp virgin organic coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp rice malt syrup or maple syrup
2 Tbsp raw cacao powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Almond milk, coconut milk or yoghurt, to serve
Fresh berries, banana slices and/or chia seeds, to garnish (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 180degC (160degC fan-forced) and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Place the rice puffs and almonds in a bowl.
Drizzle the coconut oil and syrup over the rice puffs and almonds, and sprinkle with the cacao powder and cinnamon.
Use your hands to mix it all together - make sure you do this gently as you don't want to squash the rice puffs.
Spread out evenly on the prepared tray and bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway - take care not to overcook it as the mixture can burn easily.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
Serve with almond milk, coconut milk or yoghurt.
If you like, top with berries, banana slices and/or chia seeds.
Healthy cinnamon scrolls
I grew up in a household that constantly smelt of cinnamon buns. My great grandmother made them, my grandmother made them - so I just had to create a healthy, non-bloating version so I could continue the family tradition. These are gluten-free too - yay!
Prep time: 1 hour, including chilling, cooking
Makes 8
Ingredients
2½ cups almond meal
3 Tbsp coconut flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp Celtic sea salt
3 Tbsp coconut sugar
3 Tbsp virgin organic coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp raw honey
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Coconut oil spray
Chopped raw almonds, to garnish
Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling
Filling
3 Tbsp ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp virgin organic coconut oil
1-3 cup raw almonds, chopped
Glaze
3 Tbsp raw honey, maple syrup or rice malt syrup (I use rice malt syrup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
Combine the almond meal, coconut flour, baking powder, salt and coconut sugar in a medium bowl, stirring well to remove any lumps.
Whisk together the coconut oil, honey, egg and vanilla in a jug.
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well.
Place the dough in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180degC (160degC fan-forced). Lightly spray a baking tray with coconut oil.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough between two large sheets of baking paper to a rectangle with a thickness of about 1-1.5cm. Remove the top sheet of baking paper. The dough is extremely delicate, so handle it gently.
To make the filling, mix together all the ingredients in a small bowl.
Sprinkle the filling evenly over the flattened dough, then carefully roll up the dough using the baking paper to help you.
Cut the roll into eight even-sized rounds using a serrated knife. Place the rounds side by side on the prepared tray.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked through.
Meanwhile, to make the glaze, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.
Drizzle the glaze over the cinnamon scrolls while they are still warm. Sprinkle with chopped almonds and a light dusting of cinnamon. These are best eaten on the day of baking - I'm sure you won't have any trouble with that. Invite friends over for tea!
Tomato sauce
My husband loves tomato sauce, so I just had to create a healthy version for him. This sauce is very versatile and is delicious with chicken, fish, mince, zoodles and stir-fried veggies.
Prep time: 1 hour 50 minutes, including cooking, cooling
Makes 1 litre approx
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 golden shallots, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely diced
1 stick celery, finely diced
150 g button mushrooms, finely chopped
3 tomatoes, finely chopped
2 Tbsp organic tomato paste
700ml organic tomato passata
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbsp thyme leaves
3 Tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
a pinch of chilli powder
Himalayan pink rock salt and ground pepper
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, add the onion and shallot and cook for 5 minutes or until softened.
Add the carrot, celery and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato, tomato paste, passata, vinegar, garlic, herbs and spices and season.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Remove from the heat and let the sauce sit for 1 hour to allow the flavours to develop before using.
To store, pour into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or several months in the freezer.
