Go Nuts!

Hope you've all had a great Monday? A lot of people seem to hate Mondays; waking up early again for work, going to work, 5 days left to the weekend... But they have it all wrong! Mondays are the start of a fresh new week; you can make it what ever you want it to be; it's all about perspective. Mondays for me feel like a spring morning, or the first page of new diary; yet to be written.

I have been thinking today about the different subjects I want to cover in this blog; it has been mostly food orientated so far I know, don't worry fitness week is coming up! But diet is a massive part of being healthy; and it is a cause close to my heart as I see so many people putting junk into their body on a daily basis. It has been said that having a healthy body is 30% exercise and 70% diet, now I know that differs dependent on your goals but it is a massive difference to take into consideration.

With this in mind on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week I'm going to let you know about some of my favourite foods; the health benefits of these and some of my favourite recipes! Today, as you may have guessed from my title, is all about nuts!

For a vegetarian, nuts are a great source of protein they also provide us with lots of energy and are rich in vitamins and minerals. Often people can be a bit cautious when it comes to eating nuts due to the high fat content, however these fats are mainly unsaturated fats; particularly mono-unsaturated fat. These fats actually help to maintain healthy levels of cholesterol! Studies also sow that a diet rich in nuts can help prevent the risk of type 2 diabetes and lower the risk of heart attacks.

I use almonds all the time; you will see all my baking has almond butter in and I LOVE almond milk. Almonds contain magnesium and calcium for strong bones, vitamin E and interestingly  compounds called phytochemicals which are believed to protect against cardiovascular diseases and even cancer! Plus!

Walnuts are another of my favourites; I add them to salads as well as incorporate them into a range of hot meals from gnocchi to a good old fashioned nut roast! Walnuts contain vitamin A, potassium and magnesium. Studies have shown that walnuts added to a diet resulted in a decrease in cholesterol. 

If I'm honest, I only enjoy brazil nuts if they are covered in chocolate! But with 17% protein they are a winner. They are also very high in selenium and contain potassium, phosphorous, calcium and vitamin B.

Below is a quick and easy recipe that has the added benefit of being amazingly delicious! 

Creamy Leek and Mushroom Medley!

Ingredients
2 leeks - sliced
5 chestnut mushrooms - roughly diced
1 red onion - diced
2 cloves of garlic - diced
Handful of baby leaf spinach
Handful of pine nuts
Handful of cashew nuts
Handful of walnuts
2-3 tbsp of cream cheese
1-2 tsp of green pesto
5 halved cherry tomatoes

Method
1. In olive oil; begin to fry the garlic an red onions; when soft add the leeks and mushrooms
2. When almost done, add the spinach and cherry tomatoes
3. Once the spinach has begun to wilt, add the nuts, cream cheese and pesto
4. Stir until the cream cheese has melted into a creamy sauce and all the ingredients are well and truly mixed together
5. Serve and enjoy! :)