jo hodson 04/06/2014 jo hodson 04/06/2014

Matcha raspberry oat bake

Ok, last matcha recipe post for now!

Plus this the last time i'll be mentioning my teapigs matcha giveaway... as it ends tomorrow night. Get in there here if you haven't already :-)

This was one of the first non-beverage recipe I created back at the start of May. I love baked oatmeal in all forms and very rarely have a recipe fail so felt this would be a good place start.

Yes this has veggies in. You knew that would be the case though didn't you! Some green veggies to compliment the green matcha...embrace the greens! I coarsely grated my courgette (zucchini) and so you can see the strands in the photo above, I loved the chunky texture but you can grate this more finely if you wish.

If the green hue scares you, you could always add some cocoa or carob powder to camouflage it. I haven't tried it like this so you'd want to taste test the batter before you put in in the oven to ensure it suits your tastebuds and add sweetener or maybe vanilla as needed.

This bake serves one but you could easily double it up. Just make sure that once in the pan its no deeper than about 2cm as it may get a little gummy inside if its too deep.

Go and get your breakfast boost!

Serves 1

Ingredients:

½ cup oats
½ cup courgette- grated
1 tbs chia seeds
½ tsp (1 serving) matcha powder
¼ cup fruit juice (I used apple as that’s what I had to hand)
4 drops stevia (to taste)
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ cup raspberries (I use frozen so they don’t burn)

Method:

Mix all ingredients (other than the raspberries) together until well mixed.

Spoon into a small (single serve size) oven proof dish and press the raspberriws into the top.

Bake for approx 15 minutes until golden brown on top. Serve straight from the dish or carefully serve onto a plate (might stick a little) with a drizzle of yoghurt or extra fruit.

I'd love you to join me in other places too!

Why not sign up for emails in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers. If you are new round here check out my 'About' and 'Getting Started' tabs up top. To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus. Day to day you can also find me in these places:

jo hodson 03/06/2014 jo hodson 03/06/2014

Matcha avocado crackers

Have you entered my teapigs give way yet!

Check out the give-away post here... you can win one of these 'Modern Matcha' kits by teapigs and the closing day is this Thursday- not long to go now!

This was one of my favourite matcha recipes, it was so simple and a great way to pep up an already health boosting snack. I had these avocado crackers with salad and it made the perfect lunch to keep me going all afternoon. You could serve the avocado spread in any way you'd typically eat it... maybe slather it on a jacket potato or serve up in a wrap!

For the crackers themselves I used homemade dehydrated quinoa crackers (recipe still needs a little tweaking before I post it) but you could also use rice cakes or oat cakes. For some other cracker ideas try these spelt crackers, or these easy seedy crackers.

Recipe: Matcha avocado crackers

Serves 2

1 large avocado
1 tsp (2 servings) of matcha powder
2 tbs squeeze lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
crackers to spread the avocado mix on

Method:

Mash/mix everything together well and spread on top of the crackers.

Serve with a salad or whatever you fancy.

Eat immediately!

I'd love you to join me in other places too!

jo hodson 29/05/2014 jo hodson 29/05/2014

Matcha power... and a GIVEAWAY!

Wohoo... I have a giveaway for you today! Exciting times!

See this teapigs 'Modern Matcha Kit'?

Yup, this could be all yours!

For this last month of #matchamay I have been testing teapigs Matcha for this review and now have a pack to give away for you to try too!

I had been wanted to try Matcha tea powder for a long time and so when I saw the opportunity to try out a teapigs kit (since I already love their others teas- particularly peppermint!) I literally jumped at the chance.

Matcha tea is soooooo versatile. Whisk it into a tea or a smoothie or why not bake with it or add it to a dressing, sauce or spread. Go matcha power!

Here are a few things I've made with my matcha kit... hot drinks, baked oatmeal, matcha avocado spread, smoothie bowl and juice blends. Plus I have a quick recipe for you below ( another two recipes coming next week).

So, what's the deal with Matcha?

Matcha is 100% natural, organic green tea leaves which have been carefully ground down to form a fine powder. The main difference in how matcha tea differs from green tea in that it is the whole leaf that is used, as opposed to an infusion, so contains the whole food in a much more concentrated and potent form. Sounds good to me!

I'll be honest, one of the reasons i'd been put off trying matcha before is the price. It is expensive BUT I will say that you get what you pay for. Coincidentally, a month or so prior to receiving my teapigs matcha kit I had ordered some matcha powder from ebay (ok, don't roll your eyes at me) I did a lot of research and ordered a small pack from a Chinese company that looked reputable. The taste... well it simply doesn't compare to teapigs silky smooth powder. The 'alternative' green tea was much harsher tasting and I needed to add a fair amount of sweetness (more than I was happy to do) to make it appeal to my tatstebuds. Not so with teapigs matcha, the quality is in the smoothness of taste and quality of the powder with no grittiness or residue at all.

Here is some extra info clipped from teapigs website:

What are the health benefits of matcha tea?

Matcha tea is packed full of antioxidants, and is also claimed to help with weight, be calming as well as energising. (more info here) As part if my review it was recommended I take the 'two week matcha challenge' and consume a serving of matcha (1/2 tsp) every day for two weeks. I will admit I failed s bit at this task as I went on holiday right in the middle of may and didn't take it with me. But I did note that in terms of energy and stamina, twice I consumed a matcha smoothie just before a heavy work out and those were the two workouts this month I got my best results- on one of those sessions I smashed my PB's in 3 different exercises! Coincidence? who's knows... but I would recommend adding it to a pre-workout blend. Also since i'm not a coffee lover and don't have caffeine as a energy boost, matcha tea is a great alternative for me and I can see myself using this as well as or a change from maca powder which has always been my go-to superfood.

Ok, now I hear you say 'but how do I win a pack?'

Ok, I'm getting to that part. But first a very quick recipe. My favourite way to drink matcha for an ultra boost!

Recipe: Hot coconut milk matcha tea

serves 1

Ingredients:

1 mug worth coconut milk (I made my own)
1/2 tsp teapigs matcha tea powder
1/2 tsp maca powder
2 drops vanilla stevia (I use Nunaturals)
a sprinkle of cinnamon on top (optional)

Method:

Heat coconut milk and then add remaining ingredients. Use whisk supplied in kit (or other small whisk or blender) to mix ingredients through until fully blended with no lumps. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve immediately.

How to Win!

teapigs kindly supplied me with two kits (as pictured at the top of the post) one for me to test and one to give away as a prize!

In addition to the prize teapigs are also offering a unique discount code for my readers to use. It is valid for 10% off their products until the end of June (excludes cheeky, bulk buys, pick & mix and matcha kits), The code you will need to enter is cake.

This giveaway will run until midnight next Thursday 5th June when the winner will be drawn at random via Rafflecopter.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS GIVEAWAY IS FOR UK ENTRIES ONLY (simply because the cost of postage is too much for me to cover further afield) :-(

You can enter below- it's really simple and only takes a few seconds!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tell me, are you a teapigs lover?

Do you love matcha or have you been inspired to give it a try?

If you want to show a little teapigs love you can find them here on Facebook or Twitter, or you can sign up to their newsletter on their homepage where they feature teapigs news and latest discounts.

Extra note: I was supplied with a teapigs kit to test and review, but all comments and views are entirely my own.

I'd love you to join me in other places too!

jo hodson 10/05/2014 jo hodson 10/05/2014

Matcha avocado crackers!

I have been testing out teapigs matcha tea for the last week or so.... I was selected to take part in their two week matcha challenge during May, with a review of the product at the end of my two weeks.

This opportunity was perfect timing for me since I'd become really intrigued by matcha (after hearing a lot about it on Instagram and Kathy's blog). I don't consume coffee- never have liked the taste! But I still like foods that create an energy boost if ever I need one. Maca has been one of my favourite additions to smoothies and snacks for this reason and I add it to lots of things... maybe matcha will gain an equal ranking!

I'll talk more about how i've experimented with the matcha tea in my full review (you can also see more snippets on my Instagram) but for now a super simple recipe for you.

I made these avocado crackers as a pre-workout lunch/snack and then proceeded to smash my PB's on a number of exercises with my trainer... so was the matcha to credit for this? who know's!