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The Body Retreat

The Body Retreat

Women Only Weight Loss & Wellbeing Retreats

Citrus Green Tea Refresher

Green Tea

Its Summer!!!  The temperatures outside are really starting to heat up.

Its important to keep hydrated and cool to keep your energy levels stable.  Every cell in our body needs water to function properly and if you neglect your hydration levels you will start to feel sluggish, develop headaches, brain fog and of course your won’t have the energy to work out and be active this summer.  There are many ways to keep your hydration levels up you can drink plenty of water and eat foods that have a high water content like salad veg and fruits.   But your appetite can take a dip when the heat is on and it can be a bit boring to drink gallons of flat water and of course most soft drinks contain up to 13 teaspoons of sugar or worse are crammed with artificial sweeteners and other “stuff”.

At The Body Retreat when the temperatures rise we often rustle up a healthy refresher for the ladies.  This is one of our favourites.  Its is such an easy healthy recipe to make and once you taste it you will not be rushing back to the soft drink aisle.

The mix of green tea and citrus fruits makes for a drink that is a real powerhouse of antioxidants and vitamins and most importantly it tastes great!

Citrus Green Tea Refresher

Makes about 500mls Cordial

1 Organic Green Tea Bag

2 Un-waxed Lemons

3 Un-waxed Limes

1 tbsp Honey

1 large spring fresh Mint

Firstly, place your teabag into a mug or jug and cover with about 300 mls freshly boiled water and leave to soak for at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile roughly chop up your lemons and limes, keep the skins on, chop the lot then add to a blender, food processor or if you have one a Nutirbullet, along with the mint spring, again stalk and all and then add the honey.

When it’s cooled slightly add the cup of green tea to the lemon lime mix and give a few pulses to blend together.

Pop this mixture into a fridge for at least and hour to all the flavours to really develop.

Next pass the mixture through a sieve and press to get all the juice from your pulpy mix. Now you have the most delicious cordial that you can top up either with flat or sparkling water and some ice to make a healthy refreshing drink.

This cordial will keep covered in the fridge for about a week.

Give it a go and let me know how you get on.  Please feel free to share this recipe by using any of the social media buttons along the side …sharing is caring xx

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie is always a winner at snack time at The Body Retreat.  This tasty but deceptively healthy smoothie is a great treat when you want something chocolately.  This healthy recipe takes just minutes to whizz up and it even makes a great substitute for ice cream if you transfer to the freezer for up to an hour before serving.

You can use any nut butter that you like, but crunchy peanut butter adds a little extra texture and is the favourite at The Body Retreat, but you could use almond, cashew or hazelnut.

Serves 1
  • 1 tsp Peanut Butter (making sure its 100% Nut Butter)
  • ½ tsp Organic Dark Coco Powder
  • 50ml Natural Yoghurt
  • Splash Milk
  • 1 Banana
  • 1 tsp ground flaxseed
  • Ice

 

Put all the ingredients into a blender and bend until smooth and creamy.

Serve and enjoy.

Couldn’t be any simpler 🙂

 

If you try this recipe and enjoy it then please leave me a comment below to let me know, I’d love to hear from you.

What to eat when you are sick?

Eating healthily can be difficult at the best of times, but when you are sick or recovering from illness or injury it can seem almost impossible. It can be difficult to know what to eat when you are sick.

Last week after my shoulder operation I had a yearning for soup… it goes back to when I was little and being ill was synonymous with a can of cream of tomato soup eaten from your lap as you rested on the sofa watching cartoons.  These days I tend to watch less cartoons but there is still something satisfying and comforting about having soup when you aren’t feeling too well.

Comfort Food = Crap

Back in the day a couple of weeks off work and major surgery would have meant one thing…COMFORT FOOD….. by which I really mean CRAP!!!  I would have stocked up the fridge and freezer with ready meals and treats.  After the two weeks of sofa eating I can almost guarantee that I would have gained more than a few pounds, but perhaps more importantly I would also have inadvertently slowed down my bodies recovery.  Its difficult for your body to put all its energy into recovery and rebuilding when its also being tasked with detoxing a load of CRAP into the bargain.

So this two weeks have been different… I have focussed on actively nourishing my recovering body, doing what I can help myself get back to health as quickly as possible.

Practice What You Preach 

So, I practised what I preach at The Body Retreat … I planned & prepared before the operation.  So before my operation my fridge and freezer were full…but this time round they were filled with wholesome dishes…and a whole lot of thai influenced dishes as I was also very keen to eat as much garlic, ginger, lemon grass as possible due to their fantastic anti-viral and anti-inflammatory qualities.

Yes it is better to prepare food from scratch to retain the maximum nutritional value…. but in the real world we are often faced with times when that is just not practical or possible.  So planing and preparing in advance can help you to fulfil your commitment to your health and weight loss goals.

Soup is one of the most effective ways of getting lots of good ingredients into your system quickly. Through my planning and preparing I created a healthy alternative to my childhood staple of cream of tomato soup.  One that ticked all the boxes, comforting and wholesome, but also full of amazing ingredients which actively promote health.  Oh and it tastes FANTASTIC…if i do say so myself.  So why not give this soup a try… it takes only minutes to prepare and once you have tried it Im sure you will never be tempted by the canned version ever again.  Did I mention that healthy recipie freezes well too…making it a perfect freezer back up for when real life takes over or you just can’t be bothered to cook 🙂

Thai Cream of Tomato Soup

Thai-curry-ingredients

Ingredients

1tsp coconut oil

1 large red onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled & grated

1 stick lemon grass, chopped

1 tsp veg bullion (marigold)

1tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp chopped chillies

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 tcp tomato puree

1 can coconut milk

lots black pepper

Squeeze fresh lime

Method

Place a heavy bottom pan on a medium high heat and melt coconut oil, add the onion, garlic, ginger, lemon grass and sweat for 2/3 minutes until the onions begin to soften but not brown.

Add the bullion powder, spices, tomato puree and chopped tomatoes, reduce the heat and simmer for a 2/3 minutes.

Add the coconut milk and allow to bentley simmer for about 10 minutes.

Blend using a stick blender or carefully transfer to a table blender and blend until smooth.

Return to the pan and check seasoning and add black pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Serve topped with a drizzle of organic rapeseed oil & a few dried chilli flakes.

ENJOY 

I’d love to hear how you get on if you try out this recipe, so please leave me a comment in the comments box all the way down at the bottom of the page.  And feel free to share this recipe with anyone you think might enjoy it too.  Just use the share buttons on the side of the page.  Thank You.

Soup saves winter lunch times and waist lines

We’re now well and truly into winter, the temperature has dropped, wind and rain seem to be a permanent feature. When it comes to finding a healthy lunch option salad doesn’t seem so appealing. It’s time to bring on some soup! It may surprise you to hear that not only are soups a great option nutritionally, but certain types of soup have also been proven to help support weight loss.

In particular, vegetable-based soups are a great option as they combine a high nutrient density with a low energy density – this means that we get lots of key nutrients including vitamins and minerals for relatively few calories. Increasingly, research has revealed that consuming soup improves satiety (the feeling of fullness at the end of a meal) so that we eat less which is great for weight loss.

These soups are easy to make, easy to digest, low on calories, relatively inexpensive to make, are filled with fibre, nutrients, vitamins and because of the high water content can add towards your daily water intake.

We like to keep things simple here at The Body Retreat and never more so than when it comes to recipes, no one has the time or the inclination to prepare complex or long winded meals, not unless its a special occasion.  So these soup recipes are simplicity itself, all you need is one pot and a knife and nothing needs finely chopping you can make these soups as rustic as you like.

We would love to hear why your favourite Veg Soup Recipes are, or perhaps you would like us to help you to make a favourite soup healthier, pls leave us a comment below.

All soups serve 4.

Winter Vegetable Soup

1 onion chopped
2 sticks celery chopped
2 carrots chopped
1 courgette chopped
1/2 small white cabbage finely sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 ltr Veg stock
Handful fresh basil and parsley

Fresh ground black pepper and a drizzle of virgin rapeseed oil to serve.

Place all the ingredients except the cabbage and peas in a pan and bring to a simmer for about 10 mins.

Add the cabbage and simmer for another couple of minutes, then finally add the frozen peas.

Just before you are ready to serve stir through the chopped fresh herbs and season with black pepper and drizzle the oil.

Celeriac & Apple Soup

1 tbps Rapeseed oil
1 large celeriac, peeled and chopped
2 onions, sliced
2 stick celery, chopped
2 large apples, peeled and chopped
1 ltr veg stock

Heat the oil, then sauté the onions and celery over a medium heat until soft but not browned.
Add the chopped celeriac apple and cook for 10 mins. Then add the stock and reduce to a low simmer for 15/20 mins.
Transfer the soup to a blender and blitz to a smooth consistency. Season and serve.
If the soup is a little too thick you can let it down by adding a little unsweetened pure apple juice.

Tomato & Chickpea Soup

1 onion
1 red onion
2 stick celery
1 can good quality chopped tomatoes
1 ltr vegetable stock
1/2 chickpeas, drained
1/2 ts dried chilli flakes
Salt & Pepper

Add all the vegetables to a pot and add the stock, simmer on a low heat for 10 mins. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas and dried chilli flakes and continue to cook for a further 15 mins. Transfer the soup to a blender and blitz to a smooth consistency, season and serve.