There has been great interest over recent times in the benefits of a healthy gut microbiome to our health and wellbeing, not only our digestive health but also our immunity and mental health. To put it simply, our gut microbiome describes the balance of bacteria that reside there including both beneficial and non-beneficial bacteria. Because what we eat hugely affects the make-up of our gut microbiome, we need to know what foods to enjoy on a daily basis. The two main benefic

This delicious green smoothie was inspired by a recipe I'd seen in Little Bird Goodness by Megan May. Having just a few weeks left in my final trimester with baby number two, and a busy toddler in tow, means I'm often craving delicious and nutrient-dense foods that are simple and quick to prepare and this smoothie ticks all of the boxes. It makes a great breakfast or snack and is perfect for little people to enjoy also. We've taken to calling it "Green Dinosaur Juice" for an

Chocolate smoothie bowls. Enough said right? Everyone should have this wee recipe up their sleeve for mornings when they feel like something just a little bit decadent yet still utterly nutritious for breakfast. It's likely to be a hit with children too if my daughter's love for them is any indication! Chocolate Smoothie Bowl - serves 1 adult or 2 children 1 frozen banana (cut into chunks) 4 dried pitted dates 1/2 cup milk of your choice (cows, nut or coconut milk) 1 Tbspn Pi

Sorry another smoothie recipe but it's Summer (well almost!) and they are so delicious and cooling on these hot sun drenched days we've been having. Not to mention packed with nutrients that our bodies use for every single process so you can never have too many smoothie ideas I say! Over the last month or so I’ve been getting back into circuit training at home, either with Isabella sleeping or if she’s awake, watching eagerly from her pram or bouncer chair which is placed in

We've had such major excitement at our household this week! Our 16-week old buddha rolled from her back to her front...twice! Now her favourite trick is to try and do this again, and again. Although sometimes far less successful than her first two attempts. Nevertheless, she was very chuffed with herself! We've also discovered Isabella absolutely adores being outside under the trees in the garden and so every fine day, we pop outside on the mat for some leaf watching. Armed w

Mum and dad have a bulging Black Doris Plum tree so besides eating them fresh and creating gloriously stained hands and fingers for the rest of the day, I’ve been enjoying them in this Plum & Lemon Loaf by Eat Well NZ and also in this simple yet utterly delicious smoothie. Sadly our tree has now lost all of its fruit but luckily I pitted and froze some flesh for later use! If fresh plums aren’t available in your area, you could substitute them for canned plums in natural juic

I was lucky enough to be sent an amazing little package from Good Health Products which included the most delicious organic beetroot powder. It contains only 100% beetroot powder and provides 2.1 mg of fibre per serving. It is such an easy and delicious way to add antioxidants and other vegetable nutrients to your morning smoothie! Cherry season is coming to an end here in Marlborough so this smoothie is a wonderful way to make the most of the ‘end of season’ fruit, especiall

This recipe came about after I was looking through the Whole cookbook and found a beautiful Sunshine Smoothie recipe by the talented Kelly Gibney of Bonnie Delicious Blog. Unfortunately, I didn’t have everything to make the recipe exactly so I decided to use the recipe as a guide and substitute a few ingredients for what I had at home and the end result was a deliciously creamy, very happy smoothie! I would highly recommend investing in the WHOLE cookbook – every page is deli

Our mandarin tree is currently laden with sweet little orange clusters. My favourite way to eat them is straight off the tree while wandering around the garden checking in on my seedlings but in close second is this creamy Choc Orange Thickshake. It makes a filling breakfast or lighter meal during the day when you’re hungry as the protein, fibre and healthy fats should keep you feeling full for a while! It’s also decadent enough to cure strong chocolate cravings but with the

If you’re a fan of social media then you’ll be no stranger to the current smoothie craze and it's associated hashtags. I for one am a huge fan of this craze and have been enjoying the culinary prowess of my Nutri-bullet purchase for quite some time now! From a Sports Nutrition point of view, smoothies can be one of the easiest ways to meet all of your recovery goals in one glass. However, other food combinations (if you get them right) will be just as good too! I have recentl