Oatmeal bars (or just oats in general) are great for boosting your energy and giving you a much-needed top up of fibre, known to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. And apart from being full of health-benefits, added with flavours of cinnamon and vanilla, these oatmeal bars make a tasty snack to eat on the go anywhere.
Ingredients:
2 sticks (226g) unsalted room temp butter
2 x 2/3 cups of white sugar
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grounded cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 tsp baking powder
1 big jar black cherry preserve
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF / 175ºC.
Grease a baking pan (I used a 20 x 20 cm / 8 x 8 in) with butter and leave to the side.
Cream the butter and sugar together really well.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the baking pan.
Spread the preserves over it in an even layer.
Crumble the remaining mixture, with your hands, over the raspberry preserves.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Cool completely before cutting.
If you can’t get hold of any Black Cherry preserve then it’s just as easy to make your own – if not easier as you don’t need to leave the house! All you need is pitted black cherries, sugar and lemon. Glaze the cherries with sugar and leave for a couple of hours then simmer on a low heat for 1 hour.
Bramley Apples are a powerful source of antioxidants, which are linked to the prevention of lung cancer and improved lung function. Bake them into desserts or opt for a healthy porridge topping to reap their benefits! #Keelings#DidYouKnow
Oatmeal bars (or just oats in general) are great for boosting your energy and giving you a much-needed top up of fibre, known to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. And apart from being full of health-benefits, added with flavours of cinnamon and vanilla, these oatmeal bars make a tasty snack to eat on the go anywhere.
Ingredients:
2 sticks (226g) unsalted room temp butter
2 x 2/3 cups of white sugar
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grounded cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 tsp baking powder
1 big jar black cherry preserve
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF / 175ºC.
Grease a baking pan (I used a 20 x 20 cm / 8 x 8 in) with butter and leave to the side.
Cream the butter and sugar together really well.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the baking pan.
Spread the preserves over it in an even layer.
Crumble the remaining mixture, with your hands, over the raspberry preserves.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Cool completely before cutting.
If you can’t get hold of any Black Cherry preserve then it’s just as easy to make your own – if not easier as you don’t need to leave the house! All you need is pitted black cherries, sugar and lemon. Glaze the cherries with sugar and leave for a couple of hours then simmer on a low heat for 1 hour.
What white, tan, and brown fruit and veg lack in colour, they make up for in nutrition! Eating these foods will strengthen the immune system and promote heart health. #Keelings
You’ve heard of, and maybe even had, a cauliflower steak—but the whole veggie swaps for meats don’t stop there. This recipe, from iconic chef Yotam Ottoleghi‘s new plant-based cooking tome Ottolenghi Flavor, utilizes a lesser-known fall vegetable as the core of this vegan main dish.
Written together with Ixta Belfrage, a recipe developer at Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, the book is chock-full of dinner-party-worthy vegan recipes like these rutabaga steaks. Rutabaga, if you’re not familiar, is a vegetable similar to a turnip that’s generally in season from October to March. Like other root vegetables, they are most often eaten roasted or even in a mash, but this preparation opts for the former.
Because its flavor is actually a bit more mild than a turnip, especially when roasted, rutabagas are an ideal candidate for a spice-heavy recipe—something Ottolenghi and Belfrage take full advantage of with the curry crust they’ve created here. It’s made up largely of garlic, cayenne, turmeric, and fenugreek seeds, which have a powerful flavor reminiscent of maple but slightly more bitter and are known to provide health benefits.
While we may not be having dinner parties at the moment, we’ll be bookmarking this showstopper for when we can again—and until then, we may just have to make this for ourselves on Saturday night.
Preheat the oven to 400°F/180°C fan. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
For the marinade: In a spice grinder or the bowl of a small food processor, combine the fenugreek seeds, garlic, cayenne, turmeric, sugar, lime juice, olive oil, and salt and blitz to a paste, scraping the sides as you go if necessary. Put 2 tsp. of the marinade into a small serving bowl and set aside.
Put the remaining marinade into a large bowl with the rutabaga steaks and mix well to coat all sides (this is easiest with gloved hands). Place the steaks, spaced apart, on the prepared baking sheet. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove the foil, turn the oven to the broil setting, and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, until the rutabaga is cooked through and the marinade has turned into a golden-brown crust.
For the salad: When the rutabaga is nearly cooked, cut the grapefruits into thin wedges by removing the skin and the white pith, then release the segments by cutting in between the white membrane, discarding any seeds. Put the wedges into a large bowl, avoiding the juice (which can be kept for another use).
When you’re ready to serve, add the shallots, chilies, mint, cilantro, olive oil, and lime juice to the bowl with a generous pinch of salt and mix gently together.
Arrange the steaks and any marinade left on the baking sheet on a large platter with the salad (or plate individually). Swirl the crème fraîche into the reserved marinade and serve alongside the steaks, and squeeze the lime wedges over the top.
Eliza Sullivanmbg Editorial Assistant Eliza Sullivan is an Editorial Assistant at mindbodygreen. She received a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in english literature with honors from Boston University, and she has previously…
Fortunately, what you drink before bedtime could help you enjoy a more restful night. Your mother likely knew what she was doing when she sent you to bed with a mug of warm milk, a range of other delicious beverages could help you if you struggle to find peace at night. Here are just 10 of the drinks you can make at home to help improve your sleep.
The reason why many mothers and scientific experts alike swear by warm milk is because milk contains significant amounts of the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan is also present in meals full of carbohydrates, which is one reason why many people feel sleepy after eating a big meal. Once tryptophan is consumed, it’s converted to the natural hormone melatonin in the body, which helps to regulate our natural sleep state.
Almond Milk
Taking a step away from the classic bedtime solution, almond milk could be a fantastic sleep-inducing alternative. According to studies, the presence of serotonin in the brain can help to initiate sleep. Healthy serotonin levels in our central nervous system often depend on the presence of tryptophan, which is naturally found in both cow’s milk and almond milk.
Almond milk is also particularly high in magnesium, which is another important nutrient that can improve sleep quality.
Malted Milk
Whether it’s the classic British option Horlicks, or products like Ovaltine and similar store-brand offerings, this nighttime beverage is a great sleep aid for those in favor of warm, milky drinks. Malted milk contains plenty of vitamin B, zinc, iron, phosphorous, and magnesium — a blend of minerals that’s perfect for helping you relax before bedtime.
Valerian Tea
Valerian root has been used for centuries as something of a sedative in the medical world. It’s also been used to help reduce feelings of anxiety and promote calmness in people as a natural remedy to stress.
The valerian herb is now frequently used to help treat sleep disorders, particularly for people who suffer from insomnia. Usually, it’s combined with lemon balm, hops, and other herbs known to cause drowsiness. Unfortunately, the only problem with this sleep solution is that you need to be willing to take regular naptime breaks, as valerian can become quite addictive.
Decaffeinated Green Tea
Green tea is generating a lot of interest in the modern world today thanks to its ability to promote weight loss. However, if you remove the caffeine boost from green tea, it has sleep-inducing benefits, too.
Green tea contains the amino acid known as theanine, which has been proven to help reduce stress and promote more restful sleeping patterns. While the high caffeine levels of regular green tea cancel out those benefits when you’re starting your morning, decaffeinated options can be perfect for bedtime.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea, like warm milk, is another more traditional option in the world of natural sleeping solutions. Experts have recommended the use of chamomile for years as an aid for those who suffer from insomnia. Often, this tea is very calming and soothing — as well as being caffeine-free.
Sometimes, people will pair their chamomile tea with other natural remedies, such as magnesium supplements, to help enhance the effects.
Herbal Tea with Lemon Balm
The last of our tea-based suggestions is just about any caffeine-free herbal tea. When mixed with lemon balm, herbal teas can make a perfect sleep aid for anyone seeking a natural way to drift off. Lemon balm, which is also known as balm mint in some areas, is a fantastic option for busting stress, fighting off insomnia, and promoting healthy sleep.
To make the best herbal tea, start by washing about 10 lemon balm leaves and adding them to your teapot with boiling water. Let the lot steep for about five minutes before adding a spoonful of honey and drinking it while it’s hot.
Pure Coconut Water
Coconut water might be a surprising addition to this list, as it’s often used as an energy-boosting beverage — or at least advertised as such. However, the truth is that coconut water is brimming with ingredients that can help you sleep better, such as magnesium and potassium, which help to relax muscles. This drink is also full of vitamin B, which is known for helping to reduce stress levels.
Banana Smoothies
Another fruit-based sleep-assisting option is a banana smoothie, which can be made quite easily before bedtime and is fantastic for promoting healthy sleep patterns. All you need is to blend a small banana with some almond butter and milk for a delicious smoothie. Not only will this healthy beverage help you fight off midnight snack cravings, but it also contains plenty of magnesium and potassium to promote muscle relaxation.
Tart Cherry Juice
Finally, a small study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food in 2010 found that drinking about 16 ounces of tart cherry juice during the day could result in a significant decrease in insomnia. The study was later duplicated and produced similar results.
Part of the reasoning behind this effect is that cherries are full of melatonin — an antioxidant that’s been known to regulate sleep cycles.
Sweet Dreams
While none of the drinks listed above are guaranteed to knock you out in seconds, they do possess some great natural qualities that can help you wind down and switch off after a long day. Combined with other sleeping advice, these drinks might be just the remedy you need to fight off insomnia.
Oatmeal bars (or just oats in general) are great for boosting your energy and giving you a much-needed top up of fibre, known to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. And apart from being full of health-benefits, added with flavours of cinnamon and vanilla, these oatmeal bars make a tasty snack to eat on the go anywhere.
Ingredients:
2 sticks (226g) unsalted room temp butter
2 x 2/3 cups of white sugar
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grounded cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 tsp baking powder
1 big jar black cherry preserve
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF / 175ºC.
Grease a baking pan (I used a 20 x 20 cm / 8 x 8 in) with butter and leave to the side.
Cream the butter and sugar together really well.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the baking pan.
Spread the preserves over it in an even layer.
Crumble the remaining mixture, with your hands, over the raspberry preserves.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Cool completely before cutting.
If you can’t get hold of any Black Cherry preserve then it’s just as easy to make your own – if not easier as you don’t need to leave the house! All you need is pitted black cherries, sugar and lemon. Glaze the cherries with sugar and leave for a couple of hours then simmer on a low heat for 1 hour.
LDS Hospital 
