vegetarian – CLARE HOPKINS

Fairytale Breakfast Destination

March 5, 2017April 17, 2020Posted in ALL POSTS, FOODTagged alexandria, bread & circus, breakfast, breakfast spot, brunch, cafe, clean eating, healthy cafe, healthy eating, lunch, sydney cafes, sydney city, treat, vegan cafe, vegetarian, wholefoods, wholefoods cafe2 Comments

Bread & Circus Wholefoods Canteen combines fairytale and farmers market in Alexandria’s very own Foodie Warehouse. The cafe was just a 15 minute stroll from Erskineville station.

Photo courtesy of http://breadandcircus.com.au/

This cafe gives a new meaning to flexitarian, with great brekkie and lunch options that let you unleash your inner vegetarian (with some cheats).

For breakfast, you can choose to indulge in biodynamic eggs flavoured with parmesan, herbs and truffle oil, or treat yourself to their must-have cardamom spiced banana bread. Each meal is around $20, but if you don’t want to break the budget you can get fluffy biodynamic essene bread with avo for $10.

For lunch you can discover roasted beetroot topped with warm goats cheese or keep an eye out for their ‘sandwich boxes’ with preservative free ham or grass-fed sustainable beef. The menu changes daily, so you’ll want to go back again (and again) for more.

Get your coffee fix with their blends that use beans from Columbia and Guatemala. Tea junkies are spoilt with an array of black and herbal delights, my favourite was the Himalayan Earl Grey.

The canteen has a dreamlike feel with its light wood benches and pastel pink walls, which are bountifully decorated with fresh fruits and veggies.

I went with a close friend, and it was the perfect cafe for brunch to catch up, so definitely make a date and enjoy this hidden gem.

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.

Green Tea Smoothie: the Yummy Way to Get Your Greens.

June 27, 2016April 15, 2020Posted in ALL POSTS, FOOD, HEALTHTagged acai, almond milk, banana, blueberries, chia, clean eating, green tea, HEALTH, ingriedients, live longer, love food, recipe, smoothie, smoothie recipe, superfood, vegan, vegetarian, weight loss, yohgurt, yum1 Comment

Summer or winter I love a smoothie. Having said that, I live in Australia, so winter isn’t that cold.

After lots of experimenting, I have created the perfect smoothie with ingredients that have different benefits for a healthy lifestyle.

You will need:

1/3 cup brewed green tea
Green tea is nature’s power drink. It’s packed with anti-oxidants and carries 0 calories. The low doses of caffeine stimulate your system, whilst increasing fat burning and preventing the chance of cancer, infections, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. If you don’t love the taste of pure green tea like myself, finding fun ways to incorporate it into your diet (like through smoothies) is the best way to go.

1/4 cup Natural Yoghurt
I love to add a small amount of creamy Jalna yoghurt to make my smoothie thicker. Go for the full-fat version to make sure your smoothie fills you up. Don’t be fooled by half-fat yoghurts – lower fat means more sugar making you hungrier and wanting more. Dairy-free alternatives I like are Cashew/Almond Yoghurt or Coconut Yoghurt.

A Handful of frozen blueberries
Blueberries are little bursts of nutrients, full of fibre and vitamins. They help prevent cancer and cholesterol issues and have also been shown to reduce the chance of heart disease.

1/2 a Banana
Banana’s are a wonderfully filling, low-calorie snack. They have numerous health benefits, but perhaps the most interesting is that they have been shown to preserve memory due to their levels of vitamin B6.

1 heaped TBSP of Chia Seeds
Chia seeds have dominated the clean eating space for as long as I can remember. No wonder… because they have so many health benefits. They have anti-ageing properties, they aid digestion and bone strength. As they can absorb 10x their weight in water, they prolong hydration and improve nutrient absorption of electrolytes.

1 TSP of acai powder
See more about the benefits of Acai Powder in my recent post.

1 cup of almond milk
I love almond milk! I do believe it’s an acquired taste, but once you learn to love it, you will be using milk that is 40% less calorie-dense than cow’s milk. However, if you are worried about developing lactose intolerance, make sure to still incorporate a moderate amount of dairy in your diet.