fbpx
The Body Retreat

The Body Retreat

Women Only Weight Loss & Wellbeing Retreats

Peanut Butter Pancakes

We love pancakes here at The Body Retreat; they are so easy to make. Maybe easier than you might think… We have many different versions; blueberry pancakes, gluten and dairy free and even chocolate. These new Peanut Butter Pancakes are a great hit on retreat. The strawberries give them a hint of summer. Try for yourself.

Do let us know if you try making this and leave any comments below!

Ingredients

Makes about 8 pancakes

  • 1 cup of buckwheat flour
  • 1 cup of almond milk
  • 1 tsp of baking powder
  • 1 tbps of ground flaxseed
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 1 heaped dstp of peanut butter
  • pinch of sea salt
  • pinch of mixed spice
  • 1tbps coconut oil

Method

In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients.

In a jug mix the milk, egg yolks and peanut butter, when well combined stir into the dry ingredients. You want a thick smooth batter, it will form thick ribbons when you lift the spoon from the mix.

In a clean bowl whisk the egg whites until firm and fluffy then fold into the batter mix. Fold in slowly to fully combine.

In a hot frying pan add half tsp of coconut oil and once melted, reduce the heat add in large dollops of the batter mix. Cook the pancakes until bubbles start to appear and then gently flip with a fish slice.

Once you see the bottom of the pancakes has firmed up, you can use the fish slice to transfer to a baking sheet and pop into the oven to keep warm until you are ready to serve.

To serve, 2 pancakes is a portion. I like to add a heaped dstp of natural yoghurt, a few pecans, a smoosh of seeds, chopped strawberry and even a little drizzle of maple syrup.

If you want to freeze these pancakes; allow to cool and then layer between small squares of greaseproof paper or silicone and freeze. You can pop straight from the freezer into a warm oven or even use the defrost button on your toaster to reheat to enjoy.

Caramel Latte Smoothie

How does an avid lifelong coffee hater go about creating the perfect Latte Smoothie?

Co-founder Juls was playing around with new ideas for Weight Loss Retreat and was looking to add in some new smoothie recipes for the afternoon snack that was based on store cupboard/ freezer ingredients.

In trialling the mix without the coffee, it just felt too sweet, so adding a little coffee for bitterness just seems to make sense.

Now at TBR we advocate going caffeine free from about 2pm (you know that coffee has a half-life of up to 8 hours don’t you?), so to get the flavour she wanted Juls looked to Clipper Organic Decaf .At just 0.1% caffeine and water filtered it has no added nasty chemicals found in most decafs, this is a winning combo.

The maca powder gives the caramel flavour, along with the date and it also gives a boost of natural energy, perfect for warding off the afternoon slump.

This Carmel Latte Smoothie is so good that even coffee haters like Juls are converted. Give it and go and let us know what you think?

Green Liver Detox Smoothie ingredients

Ingredients – serves 1 x 250ml 

  • 1/2 frozen banana
  • 1/2 large medjool date
  • 200 ml plant milk
  • 1 tsp ground flaxseed
  • 1/2 tsp Maca
  • 1/2 tsp decaf coffee made up with a tablespoon of boiling water and allow to cool

Blitz and enjoy!

10 Ways to Get Back on Track after Christmas

Not so long ago, in-fact just a few short weeks ago, you were energetic and determined to maintain your healthy lifestyle.   Then Christmas happened!

You had intended to enjoy the holiday, Christmas after all is a time to eat, drink and be merry with family and friends.

So you ate an extra piece of Christmas cake, had some chocolate from the kids selection boxes at breakfast and rekindled your love of Bailey’s coffee.

Every time you ate or drank something you knew it was a choice you were making, but its Christmas…….  Why not indulge a little.

But soon you find that each small mouthful is taking you further and further away from the path of your healthy lifestyle.

Realising you had “blown” your diet, you ate another mince pie and another and couldn’t get it together the next day either.

Of course in the run up to the big day itself, you have been so busy that you missed one workout, and that turned into a whole week away from the gym.

Now it feels as through your momentum to start over again is gone.

In your head you tell yourself tomorrow ill try…

Every time you misstep on your healthy journey, you have two choices:

To keep walking backwards, ignoring how bad you feel, beating yourself up because you have in some way failed a test (who made that rule anyway???)  every day takes you even further away from your goals.

Or

You can choose to accept your lack of perfection as normal and forgivable, so ditch any guilt you may have been feeling about your Christmas treats, now is the time for positive thoughts not negative ones and so now you can choose to  take not one, but two positive steps down the path that brings your closer to the body and fitness that you want and deserve.

So now, instead of waiting for the next day, week, month or even year to overhaul your habits, start TODAY, right now!!.

Start small. You can’t go from the sofa to running for an hour or from cake to carrot sticks in a day. But you can do one, two or even a handful of small things that will help you regain your momentum for healthy living.

Below are The Body Retreats 10 ways to helps get you back on track right now!!

1. A short HIIT workout. Even five minutes is better than nothing. For ideas browse our back catalogue of workouts on the website.

2. Create a new recipe. Cooking healthy foods can be fun and it never has to be bland. Be creative with those turkey leftovers.

3. Eat a healthy breakfast. Your morning meal sets the stage for the rest of your day, so start if off right!

4. Drink your water. Aim for 8 glasses each day and you’ll soon feel the difference!

5. Get outside for at least 20 mins.  Walk around the block, take your bike out.  exercising outside will give you an boost as well as helping you to get that all important Vit D top up.

6. Write down what you eat and drink across the day.  No matter how it adds up, you’ll learn from it and it will help you to make a new choice tomorrow.

7. Share your goal to get back on track, why not post us on our FB page, let us know what is working for you.

8. Cut the carbs at night.  Plan your evening meal at night to be refined carb free and give your digestive system a rest in the evening.

9. Mix your drinks… and by that we mean for every alcoholic drink you have, have a glass of water or soda to help keep hydration levels up.

10. If you feel like you are way off track and need further help and support then book yourself onto our next Weight Loss Retreat where we guarantee you will drop those unwelcome festive pounds you have gained.

Ditch the Crazy Quick Fix Diets

Its Silly Season For Weightloss Diets

Some women will go to extreme lengths to become slimmer versions of themselves. Just have a look at the weight loss products advertised at this time of year – everything from miracle diet shakes, detox drinks made with lemon and pepper to Brazilian berries and slimming tea – just to name a few.

Now we see the evolution of the 5:2 diet, it seems the diet industry knows the importance of continuous movement to keep its products fresh.  The newspapers and magazines are full of “get thin quick” diets.

The promise of the new year and a new you.  At The Body Retreat, we hate that phrase, New You, it implies there is something wrong with the old you, it makes people feel that they are some how not right.

At The Body Retreat we encourage our women to be the Best You, rather than a new you.

In an attempt to become the New You that the magazines offer most people will try any quick-fix miracle weight loss aid or quick fix diet that promises to do the trick.

These crazy gimmick diets play on the hope that we have that maybe this time the miracle will work.

To compound matters in the beginning they do seem to be keeping their promise, when you make a change to the diet you follow a certain amount of weight will be lost, but why do so many women find themselves on new years day looking for yet another miracle… because whatever the quick fix diet, the shake, the pill, the juice,  they are no substitute for a healthy banned diet.   One that is based on solid nutritional principles to not only hep you to lose the fat you want to shed but to promote strength, energy and health.

The Danger of Quick Fix Diets

The truth is that quick fix diets can actually be harmful to your health in the sort term as they rob you of vital nutrients for daily health as well as leaving your energy levels in the toilet.

In the long term many quick fix diets relay on serious calorie deficits and so place your body into a starvation mode, which in turn slows your metabolic rate, this means that when you do eventually fall of the quick fix wagon you actually starts to store the extra foods you have consumed directly as fat.

That’s not even the worst case scenarios… quick fix diets can upset your appetite and satiety hormones meaning that they are out of balance for up to 2 years.

Ditch The Diets

Ditch the Quick Fix Diets and instead find a nutrition plan that suits your body and your lifestyle and you will never diet again.

We work with you in making a plan that works for where you are right now, where you want to be and factors in your likes and dislikes, your time commitments and budget constraints.  There is no other take home plan that is as tailored.

Thats why at The Body Retreat we work with you to change your mindset and behaviour, to make  healthy choices so that you can enjoy a balanced lifestyle, that you can enjoy occasional treats without guilt and without increasing your waistline. You start to find it easier and easier to make the choices that are what your body really wants and needs right now.

If you have decided that this is the year when you are going to lose the weight that is unnecessary for you then you may find you will succeed in your goal with the right support and guidance.

Thats were the Body Retreats unique Weight Loss Retreat can help.

Our luxury weight loss retreat will change your relationship with food while at the same time boost your energy and fitness levels, so you return home stronger, leaner,  healthier having lost up to 10lbs.*

We have helped hundreds of women ditch the crazy quick fix diets that promise so much and deliver so little.

We keep our retreat numbers small so that you get the best individual attention to ensure that you leave us in the best possible shape with the right tools, resources and midst to succeed in your goal and active the body and fitness you want and deserve.

Contact us to set up a time to chat through exactly how we can help you to turn your back on quick fix dieting for good.

 

* Average weight loss at our weight loss retreats.

Healthy 3 Course Winter Menu Starter

Christmas is a time for celebration, for spending time with friends and family , its also a time to enjoy a few splurges through the month.  At The Body Retreat we know that t can be a worry how you entertain while still maintain your waistline.  It can be hard to combine celebration and moderation.  This well balanced three course winter menu is perfect when you want to serve a delicious meal for friends or family during the winter.

Starting the meal with a light but warming Parsnip and Lemon soup will help you to feel fuller sooner and while help to moderate your appetite fort the rest of the meal. Main course is Spiced Pork Casserole served with Couscous which is a rich and opulent and will impress your guests, who will never guess that it only took you 15 mins to prepare.  Then we finish the meal with Plum and Almond Meringue

Parsnip and Lemon Soup
Serves 4
  • 1tbp rapeseed oil
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 leeks, sliced (only use the white of the leek)
  • 2 celery sticks, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 4 medium parsnips, chopped
  • 1 inch of ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1ltr chicken stock
  • 1 lemon
  • 80 mls single cream
  • Chopped Chives and Parsnip Crisps to garnish

 

Method

In a large pot heat the oil, add the vegetables and ginger, give a sprinkle of salt.  Gently sauté for 5 mins until the vegetables begin to soften but not brown.

Add the stock and the half the lemon and simmer for 20 mins.

Once cooked, remove the lemon half and blend the soup until silky and smooth.

Stir through the cream and season with salt and white pepper to taste.

When ready to serve, gentle reheat.  Serve topped with a squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of chopped chives and a garnish of parsnip crisps.