beginner blogger – CLARE HOPKINS

A salad to suit the season?

November 16, 2017April 23, 2020Posted in ALL POSTS, HEALTHTagged Australia, beginner blogger, blog, blogging, brunch, cheap, cheap dinner, delicious, dinner, FOOD, fun, guides, happy, healthy, homemade, journal, LIFESTYLE, local, lunch, others, salad, weight loss11 Comments

Reading over and editing this post I realised how many times I used the word Spring. I’m sorry but unfortunately Oxford dictionary doesn’t have any good alternatives.

***

We’re getting to the end of Spring over here in Australia, and although I’m excited about the beachy climate that summer is bringing, it’s sad to see those cool, breezy Spring days fade away.

Because Spring is the season before Summer, it’s the time every gym membership goes on sale, Halloween stashes quickly get thrown out, and green smoothies and salads are glorified.

The idea of munching on a bowl of bitter green leaves drizzled with vinaigrette sounds highly unappetizing to me, but with the right ingredients they can taste great and they ensure you are packing your daily greens in.

So, I created the perfect Spring salad, with protein, healthy fats and a range of different flavours.

You will need:

1 medium tomato – reduce risk of heart disease and cancer
135g tinned salmon – rich in omega 3 fatty acids and a great source of protein.
Mixed green lettuce leaves
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Heaped tsp of dried chia seeds – high in omega 3s, fibre, and provide a delicious crunch to the dish.
100g chopped canned beetroot
50g avocado – source of filling, healthy fats.

Cost: AUD 10 Calories: 380

Perfect! xx

New & Improved Acai Bowl Recipe

October 9, 2017April 23, 2020Posted in ALL POSTS, FOODTagged acai bowl, beginner blogger, blog, cheap, Colourpot, creative gourmet, eating, FOOD, HEALTH, healthy, healthy recipe, homemade, recipe, Sydney, weight loss, wordpress11 Comments

Acai Bowls have been a craze in Sydney for a while now, with so many acai-focused places popping up that I have compiled a mental list of spots for the best bowls in the city; check out Bare Naked Bowls, The Fruitologist and Coco Bliss.

Every now and again (usually when my bank balance is looking sheepish) I make a cheap, easy, TASTY, acai bowl at home. Below is my updated recipe, but check out different acai bowls in my previous posts.

The ingredients are inexpensive and can be picked up at your local Supermarket, except for the actual acai powder. Every brand seems to want to charge exorbitant prices for a tiny bag of acai.

My hack is the Creative Gourmet Organic Acai Puree (AUD $8), or the Tropeaka Acai Powder (AUD $34)

For my recipe you will need:

1 x Creative Gourmet Organic Acai Puree pack OR 1 tbsp Tropeaka acai powder.
20g Smooth Peanut Butter (Mayvers is my favourite)
50g frozen strawberries
50g frozen blueberries
1/2 cup water or more as needed
1 medium banana
Dried Chia seeds
Shredded Coconut

Approximately 340 calories. Time: 10 minutes

Method:

Blend the acai, water and frozen berries until thick smoothie consistency is formed.
Pour blended mixture into a bowl.
Chop up the banana and place on top, and drizzle with peanut butter. Sprinkle the chia seeds and shredded coconut on top (tasty added health benefits).

Mmmm! xx Have you made acai bowls before?

Veggie-Packed Frittata to get Your Greens in

February 26, 2017April 22, 2020Posted in ALL POSTS, FOODTagged baking, beginner blogger, Colourpot, diet, eggs, fit, frittata, frittata recipe, healthy blogging, healthy dinner, healthy frittata, healthy lunch, healthy recipe, new blogger, nutrition, vegetables, vegetarian, vegetarian recipe4 Comments

Frittata’s are one of those dishes that look super complex but are very easy to whip together.

They are also super versatile – they can be served hot or chilled, and taste good with just about any combination of vegetables.

The rainbow vegetables in this dish provide several vitamins and nutrients, whilst making it filling but low in calories. The eggs are a vital source of healthy fat and protein.

You can choose different veggies depending on what you feel like. My favourites are in the recipe below, but other options are capsicum, regular tomatoes, pumpkin, mushroom & asparagus.

For a touch of sweetness I use sweet potato as the base of the Frittata. This can be substituted for baby potatoes if you prefer a more savoury taste.

You will need:

8 eggs
1/2 cup almond milk
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 tsp turmeric
Sprinkle of Paprika
4 spring onions
2 cups baby spinach
1/3 cup feta
1 zucchini
Pinch of salt
6 of cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh basil

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200˚C.
Chop up the sweet potatoes and zucchini into cubes and fry in fry-pan with turmeric, paprika and olive oil, until golden brown and cooked through.
Chop up the cherry tomatoes, spring onions, feta and basil. Also loosely chop the baby spinach.
Whisk the eggs, milk and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Then stir through the basil.
Put the sweet potatoes and the zucchini fry into the base of a cake tin. Cover with baby spinach, tomatoes and sprinkle with spring onion.
Pour egg mixture over all other ingredients in the cake tin, making sure to cover everything.
Cut up feta into small blocks and place on top.
Cook for 25 minutes, or until egg looks bouncy and cooked through (I check by inserting a skewer – make sure the egg has cooked through).

Voila! Homemade and delicious.

Calories don’t Count on Christmas! Mince Pies and Mulled Wine for Breakfast.

December 25, 2015April 14, 2020Posted in ALL POSTS, CHRISTMASTagged beginner blogger, chocolate, CHRISTMAS, dessert, fun, gifts, mince pie, presents, recipe, treatsLeave a comment

Merry Christmas!

After stuffing myself silly with turkey, ham, pumpkin, potato, feta salad, veggies, custard, mince pies and truffles, on Christmas Eve, I woke up this morning to a tree full of presents and a slightly-less eager family who just wanted to sleep in.

Luckily I managed to get them out of bed by 9 am – motivating them mainly with warm, fruit-mince tarts that I freshly baked.

Earlier in the morning I was inspired by a recipe in my Mum’s old Donna Hay cookbook.

First I prepared the filling, by combining the following in a bowl and set it aside in the fridge:

1 cup Granny Smith Apples, finely chopped
Pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon
Dash of Brandy
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1/2 cup currants
3 tsp lemon rind
50g butter melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice

Whilst waiting for that to chill, I used cookie cutters to cut little circles in shortcrust pastry and place them into greased cupcake baking trays. Then I prepared my star toppings using a smaller star cookie cutter.

After the hour was up I took the filling out the fridge and distributed it into the moulds. I placed the little star cutouts on top of each one and brushed them all with melted butter.

Then, I popped them into the oven (160C/320F) for 25-30 minutes.

Everyone enjoyed fruit mince pies, gourmet chocolate truffles (from Belle Fleur Fine Chocolates – a boutique chocolate shop in Sydney’s Inner West), and mulled wine whilst opening presents.

I got very spoilt this Christmas, and got a Mimco Supernatural Medium Pouch, some cute Kikki K stationary and the Antler Aire Large Suitcase.

Clearly I was spoilt by family and friends – hope you had a wonderful Christmas and got everything you wished for!