Cover

Title page

 

Introduction

A Natural Born Feeder Pantry

Where to Shop

Essential Kitchen Kit

Small Steps to Success

 

SMOOTHIES, JUICES, NON-DAIRY MILKS AND DRINKS

SMOOTHIES

Honey I’m Home Smoothie

Get Up and Goji Smoothie

Strawberries and Cream Smoothie

Pure Passion Smoothie

Easy Pleaser Smoothie

Chocolate Chip Shake

PROTEIN-PACKED SMOOTHIES

Big Face Smoothie

Natural Born Fueller

The Incredible Hulk Smoothie

Bionic Burst Smoothie

Matcha Latte Smoothie

Creamy Iced Mocha Smoothie

JUICES

Orient Express Juice

Ruby Rush Juice

Bubbly Pear Juice

The Morning After Juice

Adrenaline Junkie Juice

DRINKS

Watermelon Slushy

Raspberry Lemonade

Hot Chocolate

NON-DAIRY MILKS

Oat Milk

Cashew Milk

Almond and Hazelnut Milk

COCKTAILS

Saintly Mojito

Mr Perfect

Pink Flamingo

Play It Cool

BREAKFAST AND BRUNCH

PIMP YOUR PORRIDGE

Coconut and Raspberry ‘Proats’

Spiced Apple and Walnut ‘Proats’

Cacao and Orange ‘Proats’

Banana Bread ‘Proats’

Corn Porridge

Coconut Rice Porridge with Quick Chia Jam

OATS ON THE GO

Coconut and Goji Berry Overnight Oats

Coconut and Raisin Overnight Oats

Cacao and Date Overnight Oats

GRANOLA WITH A TWIST

Quinoa Buckwheat Pops

Quinola with Caramelised Banana and Cashew Cream

FRUIT

Breakfast Crumble

Seasonal Fruit Compote

PANCAKES AND CRÊPES

Happy Quinoa Crêpes

Oat Crêpes

Protein Crêpes

Spiced Apple Pancakes

Savoury Buckwheat Crêpes with Creamy Mushrooms and Spinach

Oat Pancakes with Sweet Peanut Sauce

Chocolate Berry Pancakes

Savoury Oatcakes with Smoked Salmon and Herb Mayo

EGGS

Mackerel Salad with Paprika ‘Mayo’ Stuffed Eggs

Egg Wraps with Smoked Mackerel and Spinach

Mackerel and Poached Eggs with Healthy Hollandaise

Duck Egg Frittata with Spinach and Sweet Potato

Spicy Sweet Potato and Egg Bake

SOUPS

Parsnip and Lemongrass Soup

Serene Green Soup

Chilli Beet Soup

Roast Carrot and Red Pepper Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Ramen

Creamy Bacon and Mushroom Soup

SALADS

Quinoa Salad with Broccoli, Feta and Hazelnuts

Quinoa Comfort Bowl

Psychedelic Salad

Spinach, Avocado and Orange Salad with Chickpea ‘Croutons’

Tabbouleh with Aubergine, Avocado and Pomegranate

Simple Warm Salad

Chicken and Mango Rainbow Salad

Seared Tuna Salad with Poached Eggs

SIDES

Coconut Carrot Purée

Honey Mustard Carrots

Cauliflower Mash

Cauliflower with ‘Cheesy’ White Sauce

Mexican Cauliflower Rice

Proper Baked Beans

Sweet Potato Salad

Broccoli and Beansprouts

Sweet Braised Cabbage

Creamed Spinach

Roast Parsnip Fries

Cucumber Rolls

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Coconut Rice

Spicy Sweet Potato Cubes

Peshwari Naan

MAIN DISHES

TURKEY AND CHICKEN

Low-Carb Turkey Lasagne

Spicy Turkey Chilli

Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato Mash

Kickin’ Curry

Katsu Curry

Whatever You Fancy Curry

Spiced Chicken Legs

Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Bake

LAMB AND BEEF

Slow-Cooked Lamb with Sweet Red Onions, Figs and Tomatoes

Lamb Mince Wraps with Mint Yoghurt

Lamb Tagine

Steaks with Beetroot and Ginger Relish

Pre-Race Chilli with Sweet Potato Crisps

SEAFOOD

Almond-Crusted Baked Hake

Salmon Balls with Lemon and Dill

Salmon Burgers

Simple Grilled Prawn Skewers

Colourful Prawn and Vegetable Noodle Salad

Tuna Steak with Brazil Nuts, Honey and Orange

VEGETARIAN

Quinoa, Sweet Potato and Kale Burgers

Spicy Mexican Black Bean and Bulgur Burgers

Beetroot, Balsamic and Basmati Rice Burgers

Stuffed Courgette Boats

Rainbow ‘Spaghetti’

Sweet Potato, Lentil and Quinoa Tart

FAKE-AWAY

Fish and Chips

Burrito Cabbage Wrap

Quinoa Pizza

Chicken Satay Skewers

SIMPLE PLEASURES

SWEET SNACKS

Jaffa Balls

Banoffee Balls

Notella Balls

Stress-Buster Balls

Tropical Truffles

Chocolate Peanut Truffles

Fast-Fix Protein Bar

Freezer Bars

SAVOURY SNACKS

Herbed Cracker Thins

Gluten-Free Sun-Dried Tomato and Oat Biscuits

Crunchy Baked Chickpeas

Sweet and Salty Popcorn

TEATIME TREATS

Peanut Butter Banana Cookies

Time-Conscious Cookies

Toffee Pops

The Virtuous Viscount

Cookie Crunch

Venus Bars

Oreo Blondies

Rocky Road

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cups

Billionaire’s Shortbread

Gooey Chocolate Brownies, Three Ways

Mini Coconut Rice Buns

Caramel Bites

Raw Superfood Cups

DESSERTS

Strawberry and Hazelnut Cheesecake

Mango, Raspberry and Coconut Cheesecake

Blackberry Cheesecake Slice

Bakewell Slice

Apple Upside Down Cake

Balsamic, Blackberry and Hazelnut Crumble Pie

Chocolate Orange Tart

Chocolate Orange Mousse

Sinless Banoffee

Raspberry Posset with Pistachio Shortbread

Probiotic Berry Ice Pops

Honeydew Sorbet

Pistachio, Coconut and Cacao Ice Cream

Pecan Praline Ice Cream

BREAD

Sun-Dried Tomato, Basil and Feta Spelt Bread

Oat Loaf or Scones

Sesame Bagels

Lemon and Poppy Seed Spelt Loaf

Banana Bread

Rachel’s Raisin and Walnut Bread

Pear and Almond Scones

Apple and Cinnamon Scones

Lemon, Blueberry and Banana Muffins

SPORTS SNACKS

Whatever You’re Into Granola Bars

Super Crunch Granola Bars

Crunch Time

Oat and Fruit Bars

Muscle Munch

Buckwheat Bounce

Sweet and Salty Nut-Free Trail Mix

Tropical Trail Mix

DIPS AND THINGS

Quick Hummus

Roasted Carrot Hummus

Miso Hummus

Avocado and Feta Dip

Guacamole

Butterbean and Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

Minty Pea Dip

Black Bean Dip

Black Bean, Mango and Avocado Salsa

Cashew Cheese with Sweet Red Pepper

Savoury Cashew Cheese

Red Onion Marmalade

Apricot Chutney

Fiery Relish

Homemade Mayo

Garlic ‘Mayo’

Vegan Pesto

The Best Stir-Fry Dressing

Quick and Easy Passata

Red Pepper Passata

Simple Red Pepper Sauce

Raspberry Jam

Quick Blueberry Chia Jam

Orange Saffron Marmalade

Cashew Cream

Coco Cream

THE NUT BUTTER COLLECTIVE

Caramel Peanut Spread

Chocolate Peanut Spread

Peanut Butter with Maple Syrup and Cinnamon

Spicy Peanut Butter

Chocolate Almond Butter

Caramel Pecan Spread

Notella

Chocolate Pecan Spread

Macadamia Nut Butter

All or Nuttin’ Butter

Superseed Me Spread

 

Acknowledgements

Copyright

About the Author

About Gill Books

INTRODUCTION

I’ve had a roller coaster relationship with food. From growing up on a farm to living on coffee when I was modelling in New York to developing my whole foods philosophy, I’ve been through the whole spectrum.

Working in an industry for the past seven years that is based solely on aesthetics derailed my passion for food. Food became the enemy and was something to be avoided as much as possible. I didn’t know anything about nutrition or healthy eating, so I fell into one cliché after another. You don’t have to be a model to go through all that, though. In this age of social media, we all feel the pressure to be picture perfect all of the time.

But now, at the age of 24, I consider myself to be very fortunate to have found my passion. Food is my way of creating, sharing and unwinding and of being more in the present. Cooking and baking have helped me to realise that life is about the simple pleasures of everyday moments.

EARLY DAYS

Growing up, I had a great outlook when it came to food. My parents made a conscious effort to keep processed foods out of the house, and along with my grandmother, they taught me how to cook. I was making my own school lunches and dinners from the age of six. My mother was the school principal and had a strict healthy eating policy, though I sometimes snuck some chocolate into my lunchbox – I was the last person she would suspect!

Food was part of our family traditions and was something to be celebrated.

Sunday dinners were always a big deal. My grandfather’s hobby was fishing, so fresh fish was always a feature, mashed potatoes were unlimited and a side table would be groaning under the weight of all the desserts. There are hardly any photos of me in my youth without a piece of cake in my hand or mouth. Saying that, though, I was a very active child. I played on every local team, from camogie to tennis, and rarely sat still long enough to watch TV.

The area I grew up in at the foot of Slievenamon in Tipperary was also a haven of good-quality local produce. Some of my fondest memories are of calling to my neighbours to collect eggs, learning about beekeeping from another neighbour who supplied us with raw honey and picking our own apples to make apple jelly.

I grew up spending most of my time with my grandmother, Aida, who passed on her passion for baking to me. It was, and still is, my main connection with her. She taught me how to make everything from roux-based sauces to homemade marshmallows and she spoiled my sisters and I with three-course homemade meals, freshly baked breads and every kind of cake a child could imagine.

Learning how to cook and bake turned out to be one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever been given. As a child, I viewed food as an art. It allowed me to be creative and to make other people happy. Being able to cook for myself and others has made me want to inspire others in turn to make better food choices and rethink food.

I had a wonderful relationship with food and it was a vital part of my family. It was how we would celebrate, create and simply spend time together. But that all changed.

THE VICIOUS CIRCLE

When I started modelling and travelling abroad for work at age 18, I found myself adopting bizarre food fads and eating routines. I felt like I had no choice and no time. I was under huge pressure not to waste this chance and I didn’t want to fail. I was young and impressionable, so of course I tried every wondrous new diet and fast fix around. I started to blame food for any of my physical issues and struggles with my measurements. I stopped baking and cooking and caring about food, and I lost my hobby and creative outlet in the process.

Coming from a background where I never deprived myself or put too much thought into what I ate, I had no idea what I was supposed to do or eat now in this new world. I would go through phases of splurging and fasting, or I would wait long periods between eating and skip meals, then punish myself with hard runs when I thought I had stepped out of line – even though I didn’t know what the line was or where it was supposed to be.

Despite working in an industry based on looks, no one ever gave me any advice on what or how to eat. When I was just starting out I couldn’t afford to get personal training, particularly when I was abroad, and any ‘advice’ I was given usually came from people who needed to get fast results and didn’t really care about the long term. When I would return home from travelling I would inevitably put back on all the weight I had lost, and then some. This vicious circle continued for a few years, until it all came to a head in 2011 when I decided to stop travelling. For the first time in ages, there was no pressure, no deadlines.

There were some plus sides to my travels, though. I’ve learned a lot from spending time in different cultures and I’ve picked up so many tips from working and living with models from all over the world. Participating in the Miss Universe competition in 2010 was a big game changer. I saw a new image of what the ‘perfect’ body was: it had abs and was very toned, which was way more achievable than a frail, thin frame for me. I trained in Colombia for three weeks prior to the competition in Las Vegas, which lasted for four weeks, and I remember going over thinking, Here we go, be prepared to be hungry. I was happily surprised when my pageant coaches emphasised the importance of eating frequently. They helped me prepare meals every three hours and introduced me to weight training. I started calling in to health food stores and would spend up to an hour asking about all the different foods I had never seen before, from quinoa (remember, this was in 2010) to umeboshi. I suddenly realised that there was a whole other food world out there – I just hadn’t explored it yet.

Unfortunately, by the time I returned to Ireland I had developed an underactive thyroid. Worst of all, I knew it was all self-inflicted from my years of bad choices. All I heard were the words lethargic and weight gain – the very things I’d spent the past three years trying to avoid.

TIME FOR A CHANGE

I’ve never been the best at taking medicine, so after three months of half-empty packs of pills left to one side, I knew something had to change, and that it had to be my lifestyle. Learning from my past mistakes of going for an all-or-nothing approach, this time I decided to make slow, small, attainable changes over a long period of time instead.

I started by altering my training and eating patterns. Training had been a big part of my life already. I played any and every sport as a child and teenager and ran every day throughout my early twenties (I have the bad knees now to prove it) before a few running injuries compelled me to take up cycling instead. I adapted my training to two short sessions of 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Plus I started to eat regularly and cook everything from scratch – pretty much all the things everyone always tells you to do but can seem like too much effort.

But my biggest change was a mental one. I started to focus on what I could eat rather than on what I couldn’t. This changed everything. I realised that by eating whole foods, I wasn’t missing much anyway. By changing my lifestyle and diet, I managed to get my thyroid condition under control in a little under a year.

But my up-and-down journey with food wasn’t over yet. From not caring about food at all, I swung to the opposite end of the spectrum and became too concerned and conscious about it. I became obsessed with finding the ‘perfect’ diet. I began cutting things out of my diet, from single foods to entire food groups. I read about different diets all over the world and the latest research on all the foods that supposedly are going to kill you. I wanted to see everything being prepared and insisted on knowing every last detail about the food before I put it in my mouth. Let’s just say I wasn’t much fun to go out to dinner with.

I had to take a step back and try to be more rational. There were times I knew I wasn’t getting enough nutrition out of my diet, but I was overanalysing food so much that I couldn’t enjoy it. I would go for long training rides with friends, but when we would stop for a coffee I would freak out because I couldn’t possibly eat anything on the menu. I finally realised that I needed to cop on when I went out for a meal with my dad and got really upset because there was nothing I would eat on the menu in a perfectly good restaurant. I had taken all the enjoyment out of food again by searching for this mythical ‘perfect’ diet.

Deciding to do a triathlon in 2013 helped me to return to a better baseline. All of a sudden, I had to fuel my body with more than just aesthetics in mind. Going through that training helped me learn what foods are needed, why and when. For example, I learned why carb loading for particularly long training days or events is necessary and how my pre- and post-race meals could benefit my performance. My focus shifted from how food was going to make me look to how it was going to help me perform, recover and progress.

From all this, I eventually learned that there is no one ‘perfect’ diet. Everyone is different, so it should come as no surprise that food affects us all differently. What works for one person might not have the same results for you. All you can do is experiment and learn what works for you. Start by educating yourself and your palate to find what works best, what you like and what satisfies you. A sustainable, healthy lifestyle isn’t about extremes. It’s all about balance.

WHOLE FOODS FOR A WHOLE LIFE

Like most models, I still have an important relationship with food. The big difference now, though, is that I don’t buy into any restrictive do’s or dont’s. Instead, I like to follow a few simple, sustainable guidelines.

When it comes to food, I take an 80/20 approach. This helps me to have a manageable balance and a sustainable lifestyle, but it also filters out the guilt. When you’re enjoying that 20%, go ahead and really enjoy it! Allow yourself that treat and know that 80% of the time you’re nourishing your body with healthy, wholesome foods. I still find it hard to let go of that guilt, though; I think a lot of health-conscious people do. It can be hard to move on from that meal and get over it, but remember, no one is perfect all the time.

I make an extra effort to source my foods well and I try to buy foods that are in season. We have some of the world’s best food producers here in Ireland, so take advantage of it and look for quality. Sourcing is an important part of a whole, balanced approach. For example, you don’t have to cut out animal products if you like them – just try to be mindful of where you source them from.

I also avoid processed food for the simple reasons that I can’t pronounce half the ingredients, it alters my mood and because I’ve become a lot more conscious about what I’m putting into my body rather than what’s showing on the outside.

But if you take away only one message from this book, I hope it’s this: cook from scratch. Cooking from scratch is the most important aspect of my food philosophy. When you cook from scratch, you see and touch every ingredient that’s going into the end result. Cooking from scratch gives you greater choice, and it’s a lot easier to make that choice than standing in the supermarket aisles trying to decipher the long lists of unpronounceable ingredients on labels.

I know this can be easier said than done, but I believe that everyone can at least make a few basics. Try starting with something simple, like hummus one week or your own homemade granola bars the next. Pick one recipe a week and master it, then play around with it to make it your own. There’s something for everyone in this book, no matter what your budget is or how busy you are.

NATURAL BORN FEEDER IS BORN

When I set up my blog, Natural Born Feeder, back in 2013, I didn’t have an agenda. I just started it as a way to document my MacGyver moments in the kitchen and to keep a record of my recipes. Because something else had started to happen during this time – I started making my own recreations of the things I did miss. I’m not going to lie; I crave a Mars bar or a pizza as much as the next person. But now I make the treats I miss with whole foods, and you know what? I don’t even miss the original versions anymore.

I get such a buzz out of people recreating my recipes, and sometimes my blog readers even challenge me to recreate their favourite cheat meal, takeaway or dessert. I love making old favourites in a way that hasn’t been done before, with new ingredients. I love seeing my readers start their shift towards leading a healthier lifestyle and I’m happy to be a part of it.

Sometimes I’d post pictures of edible gifts or hampers that I had made for friends, things like my protein balls or bar, and people would email me asking where they could buy them. I never really entertained the idea of doing a line of products because more than anything, I want to encourage people to do it themselves and realise just how easy it is to create simple, tasty, healthy food. Plus I was still shocked that people actually liked my blog, never mind the fact that they were interested in buying products. And yet, when I would have long working days in town or would meet friends for a meal, I’d always worry about where I’d be able to get healthy food that I could trust and believe in.

It just so happened that I was asked to launch the opening of Mooch, a frozen yoghurt shop on Dawson Street. I met the owners and we instantly bonded over our love of good food, and we started collaborating in 2014. We started with some breakfast options and the menu has grown to include a range of smoothies, raw protein balls, overnight oats on the go and granola bars along with the oat pancakes and vegan waffles we kicked off with. These days you’ll often find me in the Mooch kitchen creating new recipes or even making some of my NBF pancakes.

Because of my blog, I’ve made so many new friends and have met and worked with people who all share the same passion to encourage people to make better food choices. Even though I write the blog on my own, I feel like I have a fantastic network and support team behind me. Nothing makes me happier than meeting someone who follows my blog and gives me their feedback. At one of my cooking demos a woman came up to me and said, ‘My kitchen is a mess because of you! My 16-year-old daughter follows your blog and now she has started her very own.’ It made my day. It’s incredible to think that the things I love doing – cooking and baking and blogging – are encouraging other people to learn about food and get creative with it, who then inspire others in turn.

Writing my blog made me realise just how much I cook and bake and what a big part of my life it is, and the Natural Born Feeder book has only reinforced that. Writing this book has made me clearly outline my food values and why I stand strong over them and my approach to food. After all those tumultuous years of going from one extreme to the next, I’m finally happy and satisfied with where I’m at with food. Writing this cookbook has made me realise that I’m in the right place and that I’m ready to move on to the next chapter.

WHAT’S NEXT

It’s a little overwhelming to think that people are actually listening to what I say, and it makes me feel that I have somewhat of a duty to my readers. Natural Born Feeder is a space where people can get recipes but also educate themselves a bit more about what it takes to create a sustainable, healthy lifestyle. I want to use that platform as well as I can and share as much as possible, which is one of the reasons why I’m going back to college to study nutrition. There’s still so much more that I want to learn about food and I can’t wait to share it with my readers. I’m constantly thinking about what’s next in my food journey and I firmly believe that with enough hard work, what’s right for me will happen.

I never would have guessed that I’d end up where I have when it comes to food. After all the ups and downs I’ve gone through, I have finally achieved a healthy, sustainable lifestyle and a healthy relationship with food. It just goes to show that no matter how much you might fight it, your true passion will always prevail and the rest will follow.

SYMBOLS USED IN THIS BOOK

Most of the recipes in this book are dairy free, gluten free, paleo and/or vegan.

 dairy free

 gluten free

 paleo

 vegan