Happy New year my lovelies! Hope you are all ready for what 2015 has in store! Every year I usually write a long list of resolutions but this year I’ve only written down two! One of them is wellbeing and taking more care of myself. Towards the end of last year I was feeling stressed and my energy levels were low and amongst things I was dealing with severe back pain. It made me reflect that taking care of ourselves is really important and I really want to put that at the top of my priorities. I’ve always read a lot on nutrition and also have my sister who is a nutritionist, so eating healthily has always been something I try and do, but it can be so easy to fall off the wagon. I love looking at healthy recipe books as they can really help to experiment with food in a fun and different way. 

I’m a huge fan of Natasha Corrett’s Honestly Healthy books as she is a believer in the health benefits of eating an alkaline-based diet. I’m not one for diets but truly believe that leading a healthy lifestyle is about following a balanced diet.

I love Natasha’s new book, Honestly Healthy Cleanse – it’s the perfect cookbook for food-lovers who want to look and feel fabulous. In a world full of processed and sugar-dense food,  Natasha has created four cleansing recipe plans suitable for every occasion to help you get back on track:

#feelgood – 3 days of smoothies, juices, teas and soups which allows your body to have a rest from digesting over a weekend, to help draw out the toxins naturally.

#slimdown – whether it is for a party, holiday or special event this 6-day cleanse will leave you feeling a few pounds lighter and glowing with health.

#highenergy – if you want to tone up and cleanse at the same time this 6-day solution you have plenty of energy for high impact workouts like HIIT and cardio.

#lifechanging – you can change the way you live your life to feel and look better in just 30 days, with delicious healthy recipes for a lifetime of good eating.

With over 100 recipes following alkaline eating principles, Honestly Healthy Cleanse is for anyone looking for cookery ideas and inspiration. And you don’t even need to religiously follow the plans themselves to feel the benefits – simply cook and eat any of the dishes in the book and you’ll be nourishing your body naturally.

Here are two of my favourite recipes taken from the book…

Gooey Vegan Brownies

Brownies on a cleanse? You’re kidding! No, I’m not. These are one exceptional treat – perhaps the healthiest brownie recipe I have ever created and, I have to say, utterly delicious. You might be surprised to see tahini in the ingredients list, but this highprotein paste gives a wonderfully nutty taste. Give it a try.

Makes 4

100g dates

2 tbsp chia seeds

6 tbsp water

45g coconut oil, melted

85g tahini

50ml rice milk

80g agave syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

a generous pinch of Himalayan pink salt

½ tsp baking powder

30g coconut flour

50g cacao powder

Put the dates in a bowl, cover with hot water and leave to soak for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 17o°C/gas mark 3, and line a shallow baking tin with baking parchment.

Put the chia seeds and measured water in a small bowl and leave to soak until gloopy.

Drain the dates, discarding the soaking water, and pop into a blender along with the melted coconut oil, tahini, rice milk, agave syrup and vanilla extract and blend until fairly smooth (a few small lumps of date are fine, as they add to the brownies’ texture).

Put the salt, baking powder, coconut flour and cacao powder in a bowl.

Pour the mixture from the blender into the bowl of dry ingredients, mix and then add the soaked chia seeds. You’ll end up with a really thick batter.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin (it should sit about 2.5cm deep all around) and bake in a preheated oven for 25–30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, take out of the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy the wonderfully gooey interior of this chocolate delight.

Chai Green Smoothie

Chia seeds are an ancient seed from Mayan times and the Mayans used them for energy. These wondrous little seeds are also full of protein and healthy fats, such as omega-3, which will make your skin glow and help you bounce out of bed in the morning. If you can’t get your hands on coconut milk yogurt, add the same amount of the ‘cream’ on the top of a can of coconut milk; it will give the same taste and texture.

Serves 2

25g kale

55g pak choi

1 tbsp chia seeds

100g honeydew melon

4 tbsp coconut milk yogurt

360ml water

Simply put all of the ingredients into a highspeed blender and blend until completely smooth. The smoothie is best drunk straight away, but you can always put it in a jar and take it out with you to drink as soon as you can during the day.

© Natasha Corrett.  Recipe taken from Honestly Healthy Cleanse by Natasha Corrett (Hodder & Stoughton £25) available now.