Category: FOOD

Posted on

HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS BANANA PANCAKES

Yes, this is healthy pancakes – you have read the title correctly!! I was so excited when I first tried these as it sounded way too good to be true. Then when I tasted them I realized they were simply delicious and easy to prepare. On some Sunday mornings, I love to prepare brunch (a healthy version) and include these in it. They are also a  perfect dessert or even as a mid-week breakfast option or afternoon/after school snack. I enjoy them cold as well. They are super easy to bring to work as a healthy treat in the afternoon with a cup of tea 🙂 

Anyway, you may use them as you’d like of course. They do include eggs and I believe some of my readers do not consume eggs, so I will try to find an egg-free recipe that is also super tasty.

My recipe will feed 4 people. I made this for my family, so if you are making for less you may cut down on ingredients.

I take two organic (soft) bananas, peel and mash them well with a fork.

Next, I take three eggs, break them in a glass first as I am so clumsy and I often mix some of the eggshells in with the egg 🙂 In this way, I can take the shells out before I blend them in with the rest. I whip all this together very well with a fork.

I add two tablespoons of oatmeal or quinoa meal, plus a couple dashes of cinnamon for an extra lovely taste.

Mix well together and voila!! Preparation complete.

Heat your pan well. I add about a half teaspoon of coconut oil so the pancakes don’t get too stuck in my pan and it will be easier to flip them,  plus they bring a yummy taste to the pancakes.  

I make mine rather small. You may play around and do it the way you prefer. I can promise an excellent smell throughout your house. Might feel as if  Christmas is arriving. I suggest lighting a candle while you enjoy this meal and feel free to add some of your favorite fruit into it as well. I usually use blueberry 🙂 

I hope you and your family enjoy them.

Love JM

Posted on

PUMPKIN QUINOA

We are at the height of Pumpkin season again and I don’t know if it is just me but I feel like we are still at the beginning of September. Somehow we are in November, and the cold will be arriving any day now. I find the below recipe so warm, tasty and satisfying and great as a side dish on your dinner table, or also as a healthy meal on its own. The smell that travels through your home when you bake pumpkin is very lovely. Just this alone is worth trying out this super easy to prepare meal.

You take one big pumpkin or squash, whichever seems more interesting to you. Anything from the gourd family will work well in this recipe. There is not really a big difference in them nutritionally speaking. 

I wash the skin first because oftentimes they will have some dirt on them especially when you buy them fresh and organic. 

Cut them in half (please just be careful and make sure you have a sharp good knife on this mission.)

Scoop out the seeds and the middle part of each side and place in a form facing down and then pour a glass of water over them and bake for 40 minutes.

In the meantime you can make the quinoa –  you can find the recipe HERE. Make it with the organic coconut milk, so when your quinoa is ready you just have to add the coconut milk and simmer for just a minute or two. Then turn off the heat and let it sit until the pumpkin is ready. 

When the pumpkin is ready, you take out and place it face up on a plate and scoop out the meat. Very easy to scoop because by baking it becomes soft and nice.

Place it in a form and mix it up with the pumpkin and then bake for about 5 minutes. It is now ready to serve. If you enjoy cinnamon as much as me then you can also add a little of it when you mix the quinoa and pumpkin together.

I truly hope you like this recipe and don’t forget to tag us on Instagram or Facebook. I would love to see the outcome 🙂

Love JM

Posted on

FALL AND SOUP SEASON

Fall arrives with it’s lovely, cool, crisp fresh air and this is when the worlds most beautiful colors hit our trees. It changes the mood in nature, our local parks, and mountains. We also start to crave more filling food and maybe something warm. Despite all the beauty of Fall it also brings the flu season with it.

I try to do my best to prevent my family members from being stuck in bed coughing with red noses because my job then becomes one of a full-time nurse. I believe one of the best ways to prevent this is to eat well and take extra good care of ourselves. One of the first things I do is start to consume my ginger  water recipe. I keep bottles of it in my fridge and heat it up, as needed, throughout the day.

Another thing I do is prepare vegetable and chicken stock. Grandmothers’ (often right ) rule is to make chicken stock and they have been doing it for ages because ( healthy raised ) chickens run around easily and are quick on their feet. Various people state that by drinking broth loaded with vegetables, some chicken legs or a whole chicken it can help to keep us strong and healthy as well as boost our immune system. Keep us energetic on our feet just like a chicken!

SO simple, but please note this is the quick way to make it,  not a super chef’s recipe. I just do it in the late afternoon while I am writing, doing laundry or playing with my dudes. Bring a big pot of water to a boil, filling it almost to the brim. When the water is boiling,  I lower the heat to a simmer and throw all my ingredients in. See below:

1 whole white onion

1 large stock of celery

5 carrots

2 fresh potatoes

Small bunch parsley

1or 2 bay leaves, depending on your taste.

If you have any herbs you especially like, don’t hesitate to throw them in as well.

If you would like to make chicken instead of vegetable broth you would follow the same recipe as above but just add chicken into the pot this time.

Another tip, to keep you feeling your best is that I’d like to encourage all of you to experience all the Fall season has to offer. Go outside for long walks and look at this season’s beautiful nature. In Iceland, we don’t just hide at home when the cold weather arrives. We take the opportunity to go hiking and walking as this helps to keep our immune system strong. Teach and train our bodies how to deal with the cold air. I personally don’t overdress as soon as the fresh air arrives. Icelandic people, well Scandinavians in general,  also believe that by staying strong and embracing the cold it can actually help the body and we might get less sick during the winter. Once you return home,  you can always just boil up a cop of good herbal tea and take a hot bath. Our mind is powerful, so if we worry too much about getting sick and spend the day overthinking it, we may also be more likely to catch a cold. Not sure if you guys think this makes sense but I have been pretty successful in not getting sick. It could all just be luck but somehow I don’t think so 🙂

I sometimes get busted by Italian grandmothers reminding me that my sons are not dressed well enough for the cold and that they need another jacket or a scarf.  I have never seen so many people wearing scarves as I do here in Italy. Honestly,  I never knew a scarf was so important but now I  have found a balance. I am slowly becoming a scarf person after living here for almost 6 years. While out in the park with my sons I encourage them to run around and play to keep warm. When I was young and complained about being cold, my grandfather and father would tell me to either go build something outdoors or play. Not to just be still and complain but do something about it:) To me, this brings back a beautiful memory of me playing outdoors with my father in the cold air.

I hope you will enjoy this weekend and do something fun with your family or friends.

Love JM

Posted on

HUMMUS AND TOMATO TOAST

There are never too many simple and fast afternoon snack or light lunch ideas. Here is another great one that my sons and I are enjoying these days. I am always on the lookout for getting something healthy and tasty in their belly. I like to make all bites count for something good and nourishing.

Hummus is so delicious and satisfying. You can also eat this toast next to the avocado toast recipe I shared with you all weeks ago. One slice of avocado toast and one slice hummus toast, a tall glass of green juice and you have the makings of a fantastic lunch.

Hummus is very easy to make at home and all you need is chick peas, tahini, lemon, garlic and some olive oil ( you may also skip the tahini in the case you don’t like it). If you don’t have time to prepare it, you can always buy it but just make sure it is the freshest one you can find and organically made with the shortest shelf life. At least you will be getting one that is less superficial and has fresh ingredients.

Again,  you may use a good fresh made bread –  whole grain, spelt or sourdough are my favorites. I toast each slice for a few minutes, once ready I drizzle some olive oil on each slice. I then place a  big slice of tomato on it followed by hummus on top.

That’s it!

Hummus is so popular and people are enjoying it also as a dip for fresh vegetables. If you make your own hummus (you will find manyrecipes on the web that are super simple and fast) you can then thinly slice some carrots, cucumber, fennel, and celery. Dip them into your hummus for a healthy apperitvo for you and the kids.

Here is a hummus recipe that I use.

– One big cup of chick peas ( I buy them fresh and pre soak them overnight then in the morning I wash and rinse them well. I then add three cups of water and bring it to a boil. I simmer them for one hour and a half with just a little salt. Remember to save the liquid when the beans are ready. I’d rather have a lot of waterthan too little as then your pot might look very ugly in case you forget to pay attention to your beans. You may also use the extra water to make a soup, in case you don’t use all the water for your hummus.

Juice of half lemon

Big table spoon tahini

1-2 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil.

One clove of crushed garlic

Remember you can always skip the tahini if you don’t like it or put less of it in. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and mix very well. You will use the water from your chick beans to thin out your hummus to the desired consistency.

As always, I hope you enjoy it.

Love JM

@Photo, www.mamafedona.com

Posted on

SUMMER HOLIDAY FRUIT SALAD

I call this summer holiday fruit salad because many people get together with friends somewhere by a lake or  beach over the summer. This seems like a great option whether you are in two or more as it can be shared as a breakfast, with or before coffee. Of course you can also prepare this at home over the summer since there are so many lovely and amazing fruits in season.

I must say I usually love smoothies as breakfast, but it is good to switch it up sometimes. Also, when I have to make breakfast for many people I love this type of big fruit salad because it leaves everyone light but satisfied and ready for the day.

I  start by finding all the best, freshest fruits I see at the market, but for this particular recipe I used:

Pineapple
Apple ( washed well or peeled if not organic )
Peach
Dragon-fruit
Kiwi

As toppings I used:

Soaked in water chia seeds
Hemp seeds
Almonds
Pumpkin Seeds
Pistachios
Walnuts
Cinnamon

I chop down all the fruit rather small  because it seems to blend nicely and you get to taste all the fruits together in each spoonful 🙂

It really is super nice to see so much color in one bowl as I prepare it. Especially the dragon-fruit, this is my new favorite and every time I open one I feel amazed at how beautiful the inside is. It makes me happy to prepare such a healthy as well as beautiful breakfast for everyone. I also am aware of the fact that in a breakfast such as this, there is quite a bit of natural sugar from fruit in it. Just to note: I do not add any extra sugar to it.

So my all time favorite way to start my day is with a green juice. I don’t put any fruit in it just greens. One of my favorite combos, in case you are interested, is :

Fennel
Celery
Parsley
Kale
Ginger
Cucumber

If you don’t have a juicer yet, I recommend getting one and start making your own fresh vegetable juices. I will explain this soon in a future post 🙂

Back to the salad – After I chop down all the fruit, I sprinkle some cinnamon over it, some hemp seeds and then mix well.

After that I sprinkle pumpkin seeds on to it. Actually, you can also leave the seeds on a plate so everyone is free to add their own favorite mix to their salad.

At the end, I add water-soaked chia seeds (I put 3 table spoons of chia seeds for every 5 people). I soak the seeds overnight in the fridge so this way they are fresh and lovely over the salad. Note: you can also do this first thing upon wakening. Soak them in water and just stir the seeds. The chia seeds are a so-called super food and they complete my fruit salads. 🙂

Hope you all enjoy this breakfast with your loved ones.

Love JM

@Photo, www.mamafedona.com

Posted on

AVOCADO TOAST

I am quite sure many of you know this recipe or at least some version of it. It is so simple and delicious. Just in case you need or you have not seen it yet well at least you can follow it here 🙂

During summertime I like to spend as much time outside as possible, so most times when we all arrive home we are starving. These simple meal solutions are healthy and satisfying and making my days a bit easier. Avocado toast has been really popular at most brunch or health restaurants for quite some years now. While I was pregnant I loved this as a lunch or actually at any time of the day. You can have this for breakfast maybe with a poached egg on it, for lunch or even as an easy dinner with a big salad on the side.

When it comes to the bread, I always try to get fresh baked loaf in a healthy version. Usually my nearest bakery will have it, but when I do have the time, I will make a good one myself ( which doesn’t happen often… I must admit ) I try to buy a dark bread with many seeds, whole wheat, gluten free or made with mother doe.

After I slice the bread, I toast the slices just because I like the bread a little warm and crunchy.

While the bread is being toasted I split the avocados in half and scrape out the meat and and smash it with a fork and add the juice of a half lime.

Once the bread is ready, I sprinkle some cold- pressed olive oil on each slice and then spread the avocado paste on to it.

For my children I leave it like this and don’t add anything more. For adults I like to add some Himalayan salt ( or any good quality salt ) and if you prefer spicy you can also add some chilly flakes.

Very easy but super  tasty. In my opinion, it is the perfect meal after a morning on the beach. Consuming some good fat from the avocado to gain energy to play outside all day. Good for everyone’s skin, hair and brain 🙂

If you have not tried this out yet, I highly recommend that you do as it is quite the yummy dish 🙂

Buon appetito.

Love JM

Posted on

STRAWBERRY, CHOCOLATE AND COCONUT WATER SORBET

So I guess I am all about something fresh and cool these days 🙂

And our experiments in the kitchen with homemade ice cold refreshments continues….. Sebastian is absolutely crazy about strawberries and always has been, so I had to make this one especially for him  and lucky me because I had him smiling from ear to ear.

Note: Try to find very good strawberries to prevent an acidic taste.

I did say chocolate in the title, but of course I have a healthy version of chocolate. I use raw cacao powder for my smoothies and other recipes. It may not taste that good on it’s own but once blended with fruits and such you will never be able to tell the difference; your body will definitely thank you somehow 🙂 You may also leave it out , your sorbet  will taste just as good if not better depending on your tastes.

All you need is:

– Fresh organic strawberries.

– Coconut water.

– Raw cacao powder.

* Wash your strawberries well and place them in your blender with one small bottle of coconut water. Add one tablespoon cacao powder and blend well at high-speed for a minute or two.

Pour into your form and freeze for about 4 hours.

Enjoy the sweet freshness and that guilt free enjoyment.

Love JM and Sebastian

Photos by @mamafedona

Posted on

HAZELNUT AND DATES ICE-CREAM

A few months ago Sebastian, Gabriel and I started to play in the kitchen making delicious healthy ice-cream. Honestly, I’m not quite sure who has been enjoying this more …me or them 🙂

We have most times been successful and I believe it is because we are just using simple fresh ingredients with all natural products, no sugar added and mostly fresh fruits, milk and water from nuts.

The best part of this is that it only takes a couple minutes to prepare such tasty healthy treats. We get to enjoy completely guilt free ice-cream as much as we want all summer long. If you are already not doing this with your kids I highly recommend starting now 🙂

There are only three ingredients needed for this recipe:

– Sometimes I make the milk myself or I buy this one you see in the photo above.

– Three dates

– Cinnamon

Cut down the dates and take the stone out from the middle. One big cup of milk, homemade or store bought, a few dashes of cinnamon and just throw it all in your blender. Blend well for a few minutes on high-speed and blend the dates very well with the milk.

Pour into your ice-cream form and freeze.

Wait up to 4 – 5 hours and then enjoy.

Love JM

Posted on

THE COLORFUL SALAD

Here we have the colorful salad and I enjoy this one very much. Some people say salads are boring and not satisfying enough, well I highly disagree. Actually, it all depends on what you put in it. Of course they will be boring if we make them boring. Here I prepare salad so tasty, crisp and fresh. As I wrote earlier this week in my ” Summer in a Wrap “post – eating many colorful and fresh foods will get your skin glowing in a whole new way,  if it isn’t already. This goes for our children as well. Eating fresh food and making sure to include RAW vegetables in you and your child’s diet  is key as cooking your vegetables will fade the power of some very important vitamins and minerals.

I will often prepare this in the spring and summer months. I love raw beets, they are very satisfying and juicy, great for circulation and getting your skin to glow. Scratched raw beets in your salad changes the attitude of it. Warning – it might get a bit messy as the fresh, strong color will paint your hands a nice shade of red 🙂 You may also play and give yourself or your children red lips just by rubbing a piece of the beet against your lips 🙂 Beets are also known for lowering blood pressure, reducing inflammation and helping to fight against cancer. With that being said they also have the highest sugar levels of all vegetables, so keep that in mind and eat them in moderation.

Below I have listed my ingredients for this salad. This salad is great on its own as a light lunch or as a great side dish at your next dinner party 🙂

Well washed fresh organic salad – your choice and chopped rather small (I find it easier and less messy to eat my salads that way.)

Handful of cherry tomatoes

Sprouts, here I have a mix of alfalfa and fenugreek

One beetroot washed, peeled and scratched

One zucchini washed well and scratched. I buy organic, so I can leave the skin on as it is full of vitamins.

One carrot peeled and scratched

Half of a cucumber washed well and chopped down into small cubes

Pumpkin seeds

Fresh basil which I use quite a lot of, a whole handful,  wash the leaves and chop them small and mix into the salad.

Half or even whole avocado. I am an avocado lover so I can never get enough of it.

Extra-virgin olive oil

I use coconut vinegar or juice of half lime.

Mix your salad well before serving, so you can get a bit of every ingredient into your bowl or plate. I hope this salad leaves you full and satisfied.

Buon appetito

Love JM

@Photo, www.mamafedona.com

Posted on

SUMMER IN A WRAP

 I am Icelandic and I have to say in  these days while I am out  walking around Milan I can really recognize this fact. I notice people wearing pants and long-sleeved shirts. Meanwhile everything I rock is short and I still feel as if I might melt from the heat. 🙂 Do not get me wrong though, I am absolutely loving this weather!  I am enjoying the sun because where I grew up we never had the sun shine on us every single day in May.

This is one of my favorite things about living in Italy – the lovely weather and never ending summers. Along with that my next favorite thing is the high quality of amazing fruits and vegetables. The flavors are out of this world and the freshness is just at the top of it’s game. For me to prepare healthy food with the whole color scale of the rainbow  is so much fun.

I would make this recipe while I was studying to be a Pilates instructor in NYC. It’s super easy to make at home, wrap up and bring with you to work, to study, the beach or a picnic. I was once told if you want to have glowing healthy skin you must eat as many fresh colorful foods as you can each day.

Here I have a gluten-free wrap. I usually buy mine at “Centro Botanico” here in Milan. You may also make your own wrap or buy the one you prefer and add your favorite salads and vegetables to it.  I have many favorite recipes and this one is definitely included in that list.

– Wrap of your choice, preferably – gluten-free

– One beetroot raw and scratched

– One carrot raw and sliced as thin as possible

– One cucumber raw and sliced as thin as possible

– Fresh salad (wash well)

– Tomatoes sliced small

– Sprouts of any kind, here I used alfalfa and fenugreek.

– Avocado smashed with the juice of half a lime

(I turn on my oven before I start to prepare all of this so it heats up and I can place my  wrap inside for a few minutes later on.)

I start prepping the vegetables – slice them down, wash, scratch and peel. I then scrape out the meat of half an avocado and smash it up with the juice of half a lime. When all this is done and ready I place the wrap in the oven for about 3 minutes.

Now for the fun part  –  I place all the ingredients in the middle of the wrap. I spread the avocado well on to it and then I place the rest of the ingredients neatly on top. To close –  I fold the wrap in half  and roll it up nice and tight.

My sons also have this during “Pizza Day” at school sometimes and absolutely love it. They call it their special pizza. I give them the option to choose what they want to make sure they don’t feel left out. I never understood why they feed our children pizza at school, in my opinion it should only be something offered on special occasions. Anyways, I guess that’s a topic for another day 🙂

In the meantime, I hope you will give this recipe a try and by all means,  feel free to add some of your favorite vegetables.

I am actually very confident that you will be surprised at just how tasty it is. When you mix so many colors of vegetables together the outcome can’t be anything but juicy and fresh.

Buon appetito

Love JM